MadaboutKitcars

I think everything has been said, so good luck with the build... keep the photos coming.

What is the issue with the fuel tank? The body shell has a piece shaped to take the filler cap with the tank in the normal place.

Boot space is tight at the back but you can put bi useful storage bins behind the drivers seats.

Spare tyres will fit in the boot if you feel you need one but when was the last time you had a flat tyre while out driving? Carry a can of the spray grunge and it will get you home

Nike55 - Some of your words and photos do make for some pretty grim reading.
So I hope that with everything finally back in your procession that you can re-set your build from here.
Unfortunately you can't undo the road you have already travelled along, so you are right to look forward.
Also if you are going to be able to work on the car "full time" as it were, then this should really be a big help.

Finally, I hadn't picked up on the fact you are based in Watford, as this means we are practically neighbours.
Hopefully we can meet up one day to compare builds (assuming I can make some real progress myself ).

Good luck, Paul.

Some positives



Nike, I saw the cut up body down in poole before Gaz took over and got your body made. I took some photos and it gave me lots of reference on where to cut and how to progress my build. I have the same early se5 so the heater dash area was key. Huge thankyou from me.

You are futher ahead than you think, here is a few pluses

A VOSA inspection completed so once less hoop to jump through.

The bonnet has been strengthened for the flip lid and dropping or removing the servo will let it shut fully.

The headlights have not been cut out so you can position them forwards and cut out to the side ot to your liking.

The body is mounted on the chasis so no aligning to do (unless it is not cetred on the wheel arches)

The scimitar wiring is well colour coded and easy to reuse, especially if you are thinking of keeping the same dials and guages. ( all 40 year old dials have a little surface rust on the ouside from the condensation that forms inside a fibreglass car over the winter. A little rub and polish will have them like new.)

My doors are also too big for the opening. I suspect the moulding is off another vehicle and GWA's build has some idea on how modify the SE hinges.

The scimitar racing guys replace the drivers floor with a flat sheet, like andrew hush to save weight and enable the seat to be fastered to the chasis not the fibreglass.

You still have a sound donor, other than the engine all still intack and working?

Now it is at your home, you like me can have hours of fun planning how you are going to finish it.

I also have some round tube and a large pipe bender I am going to use for the rear body support and plan to attach it the scimitar roll over points behing the doors, rather than the fibreglass body it is configured for.

Personally I like the large stainless tank, but would like to raise the rear body between the humps to give more boot space.

Nike, Enjoy your build.
I will enjoy watching you progress.

HM

HH - many thanks for your positive and really useful comments.

I'm glad the donor provided suitable reference points for you, I didn't get the chance to see it at Poole.

I was keen to get Chris Welch at Tribute Automotive to have it VOSA'd by the friendly and knowing inspectors at Bournemouth as my nearest centre is the dreaded Borehamwood. There was a delay from Jan to April as the key man had at B'mouth left and Chris had to get the new guy trained up!

I simply wrapped her up on arrival so haven't poked about too much but dropping the servo and getting bits to fit will be a priority before the body comes off.

The headlights not being cut out was a bonus, but I now have to decide where they go. Too far either way and it won't look right.

I have to get it into the shop, levelled and marked up to see if all is aligned.

Of the gauges only the orig tacho, water and oil temp worked properly, everything else was rather dodgy - I suspected power supply probs. I will spend a bit on new gauges to get a period feel. The Odometer/speedo calibration was way off 40 mph shown at 30 mph...

The doors didn't seem too far out - didn't seem to fit due to excess glassing on the body - will trim then see. LL advised the door moulding was off the Spyder. Might glass them in...Jury's out on that.

Chris Welch has some Aston style hinges which might fit the bill as scissor, suicide and Tiger Moth styles have now been discounted.

Thanks for tip on flat floor. Woke up last night dreaming about side exit Cherrybombs as the car morphed into a Cobra....had to remind myself of the C-Type.

The area of the humps backwards is a definite redesign tweak. I don't need too much space and I'm sure I can do something about the size and weight of the spare (maybe a space saver)

I'm hoping the engine is ok - will try a start once I've inspected the bores and 'prepped - although I've got an alternative engine that could be fun to rebuild and fit, but that might be considered a Radically Altered Vehicle and be subject to IFA?

As with Charman.Tech this will probably now be a retirement project.

I've opted out of Patounes future thread's - far too depressing!

Later posts well be shorter.

I wouldn't get too depressed about the speed of Patoune's builds - he just demonstrates to us amateurs what a pro going at it full time with a properly equipped workshop and a dedicated team of specialists can achieve.

For us part-time amateurs who have to make it up as we go along, a couple of years is the likely timescale. And why not. It is, after all, just a hobby for us.

What's French for Superman!

er..Monsieur Superman?

Had fun today:

Phase I:- Removal of two Land Rovers and a farm trailer from workshop space. Complete 16/04/2013

More fun to follow:-

Phase II. Removal of rubbish, sweeping out etc. Re-positioning existing Land Rover project.

Phase III. Erection of temporary structure, work benches, wall mounted tool racks. Installation of mobile work cubes (more on those later). Positioning of generator, welder, compressor and lighting, seating.

Phase IV. Recovery of G46 to workshop.

Hopefully all in the next two weeks.

Phase II - Halfway there. Cleared about 4 cubic tons of leaves that had accumulated in the 'workshop' (rented barn)..

...fell short of re-positioning the Landy (weighs about 3 tons with all my tools etc locked in the back.)

I did drag out the seats to take a first look since purchase (sight unseen in 2012, at LL's suggestion...)



A little shabby but I'm keen that they are not 'over restored' as I think I'm going for the 'distressed look' with this build.



They're roughly the right shape and size, a little deep, but plenty to work with. Will throw them in the car when I get it to the farm (a couple of weeks) and post a snap...

MG Y Type apparently...

Nice looking seats. Not sure how deep the G46 cockpit is, but I'd expect them to need a fair bit of modification to the squab and mounts to get them low enough to use.

Are you going to have them reupholstered or will you keep the worn covers for the authentic fifties look?

Love the seats, fully aged and the correct style, lucky man, as Towed says just a little modification to the lower frame and hey presto! might have some issue with the width but they look the part.

Will need surgery to the squabs. There's two layers of springs and horsehair with a large gap between layers so plenty of room for manoeuvre, but they are 'armchair' standard of comfort. Might replace the floor too...

They are pretty worn / split / torn / damaged and I need to bring them back 'from the edge'. The horsehair is turning to dust - I may fit them with new covers then 'age' them to match the car........he said.

To be honest I don't think they'll take much (ab)use. They got pretty damp with the car so there's quite a bit of rot going on. Could sympathetically restore them, but my first thought is to strip /cut & shut / then reupholster and 'distress'.

Not sure about width. Will post a few more pictures once car in workshop sometime in early May.

Nike55 - It will be interesting to see your work area when it is all set up.

I take it some of your barn preparation work will keep the elements out?

Good luck, Paul.

Hi Paul L, I thought 2" drain pipe and B&Q dust covers might do the trick - cheaply.

I'm almost enclosed except for the front (but now have tarpaulins covering the gates) I just need to work out a roof to stop the rain/wind..

Had no chance trying to weld up the Landy last year - too wet and the wind just howls through.

There's no power though. Have a generator but share the yard with horses so can't make too much noise when people/horses about. Not fair on those that want a quiet afternoon and cannot afford to hack off the owner....

Kudos to those who 'do it in the drive'. I share half a drive with the flat owner downstairs; a posty, who works odd shifts, so out of deference to him can't make any noise nor cover his car in dust nor fumigate his flat with resin.. No rear garden, just a path and a small, rain & wind damaged shed...

Nike55 - By comparison to your flat, it sounds like my drive is a luxury build location.

if they are of any use to you i still have 2 full oxblood hides and a tan one left over from my mass leather purchase that i wont now be needing.

Hi Viatron, I've pm'd you.

It's funny but I bet there's someone on here worse off than me..someone who built a car in bits in a bathroom shared with 14 families in a terrace somewhere in Barnsley and put it together over a weekend in t'corporation car park..

...probably had to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. Had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when they got home their Dad would slice them in two wit' bread knife....

Aye. And you tell the young folks that today and they won't believe you. No they won't.

Quick update..

Nothing much - but at least managed to get the Landy re-positioned

(Have you ever tried pushing a dead Landy up a gentle slope? My back is screwed for Sunday..)



..at least I now have 5m x 5m to play with, workshop wise.

Oh, and a single Reliant Scimitar steel wheel (with 195/70 R14 tyre) weighs 18 kgs...not many people know that ..and/or care....

Now that you mention it... no.

Wasn't there a tractor nearby that could have given the Land Rover a gentle nudge?

Good luck getting your workshop up & running & your car inside it.

Cheers, Paul.

Thanks Paul.

Sadly no, although I do have a friend with a Clydesdale who'll do anything for a carrot (the Clydesdale that is) but she wasn't around.

Work has got in the way of my build - a couple of months of low paid stuff, which will help the build budget but gives me zero build time at present.

Sadly I'm now spending (too much) time looking at the design and considering how things might be improved.

Having driven the donor Scimitar I now have a list of 'improvements', which seem to be the same as everyone else building the G46...

Cut out floor and replace with flat floor
Extend steering column
Extend gear lever (remote)
Move pedals back
Change scuttle shape
Change shape of and bond doors in place
Move cockpit back
Change the front wing shape
Reshape /replace head fairings
Redesign and bond 'flip front' to car and cut out bonnet aperture.
Alter radiator aperture
Change the wheel arch shape
Change exhaust system (as front silencer boxes normally sit in depression under seats in f/glass floor).
Alter rear valence (no exhaust 'outlets')
Move fuel tank
Revise 'boot' arrangement

The first six items purely relate to ergonomics and fix problems with the Scimitar's shallow and narrow cockpit area, made worse by the G46's inwardly curving doors and scuttle / dash shape.

Obviously there will be internal structure changes to the bodywork and a new rear floor area.

I think I will completely strip the car, galvanise the chassis after welding and re-build from the ground up, so this will be a very slow long-term build as money/time allows.

May be more next month.

Having seen Mr Towed's thread on body prep and voids, although a long way from prepping I thought I'd spend an hour with the heat gun..



I started with the boot lid before progressing to get the feel for the duration and distance of the gun from the surface.

The boot lid was fine but there are several areas around the car that will need repairing - amongst the many minor holes, scratches and cracks..