MadaboutKitcars

Nice work on the bulk head paneling, it looks the part. It must be a pleasure to fit the body and it all looks ok, so no fiber glassing for you then. I think if i had not had to do as much with the body i would of been nearly finished by now.

Keep up the good work and posting the pictures.

Inspirational stuff, Dave! Just getting close myself - resorted to using an original Vitesse bulkhead which means shortening the rear of the bonnet/extending in front of the screen, to cover the gap, but I can do fibreglass more easily than I can do welding!

Found the 1" spacer on a rear swing spring sits down nicely at the rear, but I'll be driving 'uphill' until I sort the fronts - shorter coils I hope...

Looking forward to seeing the next installment!

Richard

Dave - you are really encouraging me with your progress. I get to pick mine up on Sunday, and I will have some different issues (mine is Spitfire based, so Mike has shortened the body and had a new sub-frame made up). But two questions for now:

1) What gauge ally did you use in the end? I want something robust enough but without building a battleship :-)

2) Why do you think the gear stick is so far away? Is it because on a Sammio the driver is effectively sitting in the back seat of a Herald? I ask because when I tried mine down at Mike's I felt itr was a long way under teh dash, yet on my car my seating position should be the same as the Spit.

Anyway, really good to see that - and your comments on wheel sizes has been noted. When I was with Mike he had a car on 15s and it looked teh biz, but I saw some Dunlop tyres at the weekend - crossplies - and they look like what I am after, but they have a tall shoulder to the tread, so am having second thoughts (again) about wheel sizes.

Cheers.

Cheers guys. It really does feel like i've got to a new "stage" of the build as a result of this weekend!




1.2mm. That pop riveted to the Alloy angle and all riveted to the steel frame feels nice and sturdy. I was really pleased with how solid the floors and bulkhead have turned out!




With the std Vitesse gear lever it simply hits the Miglia dash so can't go into Reverse/1st/3rd.
I've seen the extensions people have used but i was sure there was a way of sorting it out, without cutting.
My old Sammio had a lever that was very tilted (don't ask, long story) and i liked the feel but i never knew where it came from, now i know.

Please remember that my comment of "feels a long way away" comes from sitting in and driving the car once out and in to the garage. So i will have a proper feel (phanaarr) over the new few weeks.

Busy busy busy this weekend!

I didnt have chance to do anything in the week so I've been playing catch up as i still want to try and make the last show of the year at the Bath & West in November (snigger away!)

Time to strap it all in place and jiggle things about. so to speak!



Got the rear end centralised and the wheels as central on both sides as possible.
It was more level than this by the end and the new swing spring is still settling down so the camber on the wheels no longer looks quite so drastic



Just resting on the frame the front end needed some fettling! The reinforcement Mike has added in the bonnet is quite.... extreme! good, and please don't' think i'm knocking it. but there is lots of it

So a jack under the front and a sanding wheel on some of the reinforcement and i got the front nicely positioned in the end but this is how it started



I have been wondering how to fix the front, then i saw my enormous pile of Alloy Angle and i had a <doh> moment! Front now fixed in two strips either side makes it very firm! I will add more before i'm finished.




Then the Fiber Glassing began! Long strips along the entire length either side first. You can also see the mod to the bonnet reinforcement in the background.



Then bulkhead to scuttle, and can i say that upside down fiber glassing is HORRIBLE!!!



Then i did both sides of bulkhead to the body-shell sides, but i was a bit to sticky to take pics of that by then!!

Also with this build i want to reuse as many bits-n-bobs from teh original Vitesse as i can and one thing i always had in mind was to reuse the rear view mirror.

Here is how it started.



Pins were drilled out either sides and the bottom mounting point was sawn off.

Then it was reprofiled with the power-file, prinmered and painted and it now looks like this!



I was originally planning to fill the holes on the sides, but tbh once i saw it painted they just make it look that bit quirkier!

I'll mount it during the week as i'm fitting the dash, seating, seat belts, mirrors and aero-screens in place before i start on the interior panneling

Hi dave did you ask for the reinforcing on the bonnet or did mike supply it that way, also did you receive your front grill. Keep up the good work it's looking really good, strong, and very neat.

Dave - Great progress.

Did you use any bonding paste, or just the fibreglass, to join the body shell to the moon rover?

Good luck, Paul.

Just pop rivets and fiberglass used so far. I might use some bonding paste on the rear where it touches the frame. But atm I've got an enormous tub of bonding paste and not a lot of bondage to do!

The reinforcing on the bonnet was done for me and i can see where Mike screwed the bonnet on to the shell to get it all aligned before adding it! It's a quality item, but when i see what Paul is doing with the rope i do wonder if it's overkill? It'd be interesting to hear Mikes experiences with the bonnet that led him to doing things this way?


Unfortunately..... i wasn't clever enough to screw the bonnet and doors in place when i was lining up and fixing the main tub on, so i do have a little bit of remedial.... reshaping, work to do on the doors/bonnet and that is totally my fault! <doh> we live and learn!

No grill yet It was meant to be here weeks ago!
TBH i had exactly the same grill delay issue with my Spyder! For some reason Poole seems to be a bit of a Bermuda triangle when it comes to fabricating grills!

I found with the Sammio that the key to getting through a build is 2 things.

1) Have lots of little jobs in your mind so that if you can't do one, you can do another.
2) "A Little and often" makes more progress than you imagine.

So while i "need" to finish off some of the fiberglassing and start on the interior paneling. It's cold! And I've had a long day. So I've sorted out the dashboard layout instead

As much as i admire Towed's dashboard and where Paul's is going, i still want to get this car on the road and enjoy it and leave myself some jobs to rework over time.

So for now - it's cheap and cheerful

And TBH i'm actually surprised how well it looks just with the std dash blank and the gauges and switches fitted and spending some time adjusting the frame behind that areas really paid off!



Gauges are just resting in place atm, but i think it's turned out very well!!

I'm also going to make up a small alloy panel to go on the dash over the steering wheel column.
The hole above the wheel in between the 2 large gauges is an idea "in progress" atm so, more later if it works. and if it doesn't then ignore you ever saw it!

I also mounted the modified Vitesse rear view mirror and again i'm actually a little surprised at how well it just... fits!

looking good - not sure on how I want my dials but this is a starting point - I was tempted by central, like my Spitfire (mk 3) but I like how youyrs has started

Looks great dave, that mirror solution is exactly what i plan to do. Did u have to extend the steering column at all?
Tim

mumblemumblebloominbonnetmumble

So today it was time to mount the bonnet hinges

I had a rummage through my bits boxes and found the two Peugeot hinges that I'd originally bought for the Murcielago kit that I was going to try years ago but never started. These would have been used on the boot lid and are made such that they bring it out-n-up. So ideal for rear mounted hinges for the Miglia bonnet I thought.


Everything planned and I fabricated some mounting posts, welded in some captive bolts to make my life easier and bolted them between the frame and the bulkhead. Here's the drivers side one just in front of the brake master cylinder:



Then I mounted the hinges and carefully fitted-removed-fitted-removed the bonnet so that I could fabricate spacer blocks



With everything in place I trialed the arc of the hinges to see if my out-n-up theory would work and it looked promising



But...... At the back of the bonnet opening there is quite a big lip!



And that coupled with how quickly the bonnet tapers means that it just wouldn't work!

By this point I'd lost a bit of skin from knuckles and gained a few minor burns and it was a bit of:








Then I remembered......





The other day someone mentioned using Mini door hinges.... Now chance has it that I already have a set that I am going to use for mounting my doors!
So.....
Looking at the angle of the LH side hinges and seeing where that naturally sat on the curve of the bonnet.
Then looking at the angle of the RH side hinge and seeing where that naturally sat on the curve on the other side of the bonnet.
.
.
.

20mins later
.
.
.




HAPPY!!!! eace:

Yes you can see in those pics that I need to do some minor fettling of the bonnet, but that is largely due to the current reinforcement and should be easy to alter (famous last words?)

At the rear edge it's a bit more pronounced atm, but nothing that a load of slits with a 1mm cutting disc shouldn't sort!



And better still, the mounting posts from the original hinge idea are in exactly the right place to mount my bonnet pins!

So all in all, result!
I'm not totally how sure it's going to look with 3 sets of those hinges (bonnet and doors) but if it does look too "in your face" then i'll just paint the bonnet ones


Now I need to spend time with the family before they forget what I look like, but before I go a few of you asked what my bonnet strengthening looks like atm, so here's a pic:



eace:

You really should try a pair of 2CV door hinges.
I think there just what you'r looking for

You keep threatening to to call-in and have a "nosey" so why not call have a "nosey", a cuppa and check out the said items?

You could spray the same colour as the car? Then they would blend in...

The MX5 units are a nice simple fix as well , for a hidden hinge arrangement.
Tribute remove them on their 250 kits so should have a few pairs laying about .

Seconded, that would look better imho.

I think I have a couple of pairs kicking about too.If you want them , they are free , just pay the postage ...about £6 nowadays .

looking at your bonnet shut , I would guess that maybe the hinges have bottomed out and sit at the wrong angle to allow the bonnet to close properly , this can be rectified by grinding a bit of the hinge shut area to increase travel or correct the angle by mounting the body mounted piece on a little plinth to raise it neither of those solutions is ideal in my opinion.

pm me if you want them.

It may b a silly question but have we tried the herald v/ vitesse door hinges?

hummm.... I'd not thought about the Herald door hinges, I think I let mine go with the doors to a very nice man with a beard. ok... so 90% of the very nice men who had parts also had beards... but I ramble..


EL PRIMER - Thank you for your very kind offer! I'm almost tempted to have those hinges off of you just you to tinker with. But as I'm happy with the way the Mini hinges are progressing it seems a shame to have those off of you in case someone else could use them!


That aside, I thought I'd better post the rest of what I've been up to this weekend as things are progressing apace now!
All of the bonnet reinforcement was cut away, which seems like a hell of a shame, but makes the bonnet much more adjustable and a ridiculous amount lighter!

I also fitted the drivers seat so that I could start to work on ergonomics!
With that in place I fitted the side mirrors from the original Vitesse and I'm very happy with how they look and more importantly, I'm impressed with how much rearwards visibility they give me! Which makes a difference to the Bullet mirrors which is had on the Sammio!
I've also made a first stab at fitting the aero screens.




Then I fitted the new lighter and more flexible bonnet and refitted the hinges with big penny washers to help the stress (I might make up plates eventually to replace those and bond them in place)
Note: You need to use LHT on the right side of the bonnet and RHT on the left side and it works and looks a treat!

Then I fettled the edges with the flap wheel in the angry-grinder and it really started to take shape!




Then I reused two of the mounting holes I'd cut for the rear-hinge experiment as mounting holes for the bonnet pins and they are ideally placed!



And in traditional fashion for me, the pin mounts are currently a bit Heath-Robinson and _far_ too over engineered! But they work, so will do for now




Finally I cut the hole in the rear deck and fitted the filler cap that came free with the Spitfire tank. That'll do nicely for now!

Is that the bit where you sit in the seat going, brumm!!! brumm!!!

Dave - Looks like you are making great progress.

Good luck, Paul.

Damn right!

Which reminds me, i need to fit the back-stop to the throttle pedal as it does make an intoxicating noise when the revs build

Well there has been a lot of progress over the past week but not much to show for it!

The front of the shell has now been glassed to the end of the front outriggers and the rear of the shell glassed to the ends of the rear outriggers.
This makes things a _lot_ more solid!

I've also finished glassing between the bulkhead and the shell and reminded myself that i really don't like fibreglassing upside down and/or in awkward places!
I also put a skim of bonding paste over the fibreglass that runs along the bottom edge of the shell just to make it a bit more solid, even though i will be bonding and riveting alloy sheet to supply the eventual strength in that area.

Then i started shaping the doors and bonnet and i added a new reenforcing strip along the front edge of the bonnet.
The Blue foam packing from the edges of the alloy sheet i had delivered was the ideal size!

This is an awful photo, but gives you an idea of where it's gone.



Then the door locks turned up!
I've opted for the Mini Bear Claw latches from CBS and from an initial rough trial fitting last night they look and fit superbly!



I'll try and get some better photos of what's been done on the weekend

Good (?) to see your doors are as bad as mine :-) Lot of gaps to fill aren't there... And mine are not very good shape wise to the shell so I will need to see what can be done to help their alignment. But good to see you making progress - inspirational stuff