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Just posted a pic on the FIRST CORDITE ? thread showing the plug body with mould removed ...
Body mould is all done now and has come out lovely...better than the Spyder mould and less prep needed for paint than before...
Bonnet has gone on and I have set Mike back a bit as I changed the grille....The photoshopped rendition wasn't completely practical as the Spitfire has a curved front crossmember that really gets in the way......it makes the flatter front a bit tricky to produce in reality.....ironically , it has forced us to go with a style of grille that is similar to the original Lancia , oval and protruding forwards .....it is a bigger opening and the bonnet has shallower valleys , but does obviously still scream SAMMIO !
The nearest picture I can find to ours is this Gorgeous 1953 Maserati....
I will post some pics early next week when Mike has finished creating the bonnet's compound curvature....
As Paul confirms , he has secured no. 7. We have a deposit in now from 4 interested parties and about 5 people waiting to see us at Stoneleigh , so thats good news !
Mould is now completely done and prepped and sealed. We have used it to create Straight Sixer's doors on his Spyder , re waxed her and just gel'd her for the first body.....I need a body to finish the framing off ....hopefully everything moulded and framed , jigged etc by next wednesday....
SO OFFICIALLY I CAN ANNOUNCE I AM TAKING DEPOSITS AND RECEIVING ORDERS ETC.
The website will be updated tomorrow night , but for now , here is some pictures of the completed plug body that the mould was taken from....
We had to deviate from the photoshop rendition a little , she has more of a pout due to the front crossmember issues on a Spitfire chassis , but has a definite 'look' going on.... The top picture shows bonnet mould still fitted but , of more interest , the bottom pic shows the mould sat behind the car giving you a nice ariel view of the new panel..
The Spyder will always be my baby , but I think at the moment the Cordite and its proportions are my favourite....
We are moulding a turquoise-ish colour for Stoneleigh ....dark but not too dark ( similar to a the colour of a '55 Pontiac I once had ) ..pictures to follow...
Yes. Nice, Nay NICE!!
I think you hit the nail right on the head with the proportions and look of this one. Great to see the level of interest already and I can't wait to get my mitts on one (after my Spyder is finished of course)
The Cordite, does it have a fibreglass bulkhead? If so , can I dispense with my vitesse one and make my own? Garyh.
Yes it does ....it will have the front section of the internal frame bonded in with a 5mm plate duplicating the holes in your original bulkhead for pedal mounting , steering column etc.
You can make your own bulkhead ...Barry Mays modified Spartan example has an ally and steel version....we have only ever used the original bulkheads for comvenience.....if your example is very rusty , that convenience is lessened !!
Gary's chaps delivered the body and stuff an hour or so ago and I just love the doors. Good quality mouldings and very reminiscent of Jaguar C Type yet not a replica of anything. Dying to get stuck in to it but I have a Jaguar MK2 to finish restoring (1 week to go) and a 420 to sort first. Door shells lend themselves to all sorts of stuff from '50s racing cars, like the spare set of plugs in the driver's door etc. The obligatory photo sitting in the shell has been taken so as soon as she has time, my partner Gaynor will upload for me as I'm too stupid for computery stuff
Gary, got a slight concern about the front of my donor chassis. Ages ago discussed with you the modification that had been done before I owned it (see below).
You suggested that this would be OK as a slight modification but the thread so far seems to suggest that the front has been adapted to fit the whole front bar in any case. Advice please/ Will it be best to simply revert to the old design by adding the front peices or will this pass DVLA inspection AND fit with the bonnet design you are working on. Not a great deal of work to change back I guess, but don't want to do it if I don't have to?
Yes it does ....it will have the front section of the internal frame bonded in with a 5mm plate duplicating the holes in your original bulkhead for pedal mounting , steering column etc.
You can make your own bulkhead ...Barry Mays modified Spartan example has an ally and steel version....we have only ever used the original bulkheads for comvenience.....if your example is very rusty , that convenience is lessened !!
Gary, considering the tyre clearance issues that the Spyder builders have dealt with, what wheel sizes will the Cordite accomodate? The wheels on the 'prototype' appear to be the standard 13' wheels...
Well I can say "I was there" today saw the first Codite body popped from it's mold and placed on a Spitfire chassis with doctor Mike performing the surgery as Gary was doing his usual Wednesday job getting cars inspected so it's offical two more sammio's exsist. I went in Skippy got wet and cold and snapped the rear exhaust turning in to Garys outside the cafe (sorry boardroom), 140 odd round trip not missing a beat. I went with a tape measure, pen and paper to see the Cordite as thats where I'll be starting with my variation on a theme I'll post pic's and start a thread once under way, watch this space! Pat, Liz 'n' Skippy
Of course it didn't miss a beat Pat. It's a well known fact that old cars have to be stationary in their garage for at least a week before they can break down!
Gary, got a slight concern about the front of my donor chassis. Ages ago discussed with you the modification that had been done before I owned it (see below).
You suggested that this would be OK as a slight modification but the thread so far seems to suggest that the front has been adapted to fit the whole front bar in any case. Advice please/ Will it be best to simply revert to the old design by adding the front peices or will this pass DVLA inspection AND fit with the bonnet design you are working on. Not a great deal of work to change back I guess, but don't want to do it if I don't have to?
Difficult to say Simon ....some Offices won't give it a glance , some will possibly come out with their chassis drawing and tape measure.
I would be confident enough to present it here in Poole , but that doesn't help you , being 250 odd miles away....
If you are want to go the safe route ...I would add the original crossmember ....but its your call.
I'm new to the forum and have recently started exchanging emails with Gary about a Cordite kit to bring my old '71 Spitfire back to life. He sugguested that I say hi. Never undertaken anything like this before so hopefully you'll forgive any blindingly obvious questions that I may post :-)
Don't worry about posting any sort of questions on here about the donor/build, i think that just about all of us came at our builds not knowing a lot of what we know now (mumblemumblebloodytrunionsmumble) so we're all pretty much as open to others as we can be
Hi Ash.
Good to hear another joining the fold. As has already been said, don't be afraid to ask anything as you won't have been the only one having a particular problem. Where in the country are you by the way? There's a Sammio location map online at http://g.co/maps/f4ysy
if you want to find someone nearby.
Looking forward to hearing your build soon
Hello Ash. Like the others I'd like to welcome you aboard the good ship Sammio.
Thanks to Gary's (brilliant imho) concept: keep the kit simple and cheap (although I hear there's a cheaper frame available...) and encourage the builder to use their imagination and mechanical skills to make things fit/work, there's no such thing as a stupid question within our little community.
You'll struggle to find a more knowlegeable and helpful crowd to give you all the advice and encouragement you'll need to turn your '71 into something truly unique. Don't forget to start your own build thread and, like Tony says, POST LOTS OF PICTURES!
Good luck with your project and I'm sure you won't regret joining the Sammio (it's not really a) club.
Hi Ash, welcome from sunny Lincolnshire???? Turn that damned sun lamp off. Rest assured if you need advice or support this is the place to find it! Welcome aboard.
