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I had contemplated purchasing an MEV Aston kit over here (USA), but it just didn't do it for me either.
WELL YOU HAVE ANOTHER OPTION NOW , MOLLEUR !!
Joking aside , I have an obvious interest in getting things moving with this venture , need to get a few examples out there , nothing like customer builds to promote a kit and some much needed return on my investment ( I am genuinely too frightened to add it all up ...) ...so the first few units out the door could be slightly discounted ......strictly a limited situation though as I won't fall into the trap of underselling again ...
I hadn't thought of comparing it to the Mev but the one point I thought it could do with was a larger feature at the back of the bonnet/wing, similar to the early Corvette, or a similar feature to the MEC/Aston. I think it would take away from it being a little slab sided but it would help in the final finishing/painting. A long flat side will always be a bit of a challenge to get perfect, a few curves take your eyer away from it. I would imaging it will help when the door lines are showing. Please don't take this as criticism, just a second set of eyes. The build is coming on very nicely with a lot of attention to detail which is great. Good luck with it, you certainly deserve it with all the hard work. Getting a "live" build thread should certainly help with sales.
J-TVR ...Thank you for your input , I am happy to listen to all opinion , positive or negative ...
The photo's do tend to make the body a lot less curved than it is ..the flat , non reflective filler and foam doesnt give suggestion of curves . It also looks deeper than its cousins in the body , but other than the slight lip around the cockpit , it isn't really .... The body has a gentle curve top to bottom and when the body (not the plug ) is available to view , it will be more apparent ...I'm hoping that a car builder's prep for paint will be minimal . The finished plug is getting 6 coats of Durabuild primer , a filler primer designed for pattern making , this is being flattened down as per a standard paint job ..then the car is getting several coats of BLACK Durabuild which will be polished to a shiny finish to highlight any issues and hopefully give us a high level of gloss gel finish on the bodies .....
The vent on the side is getting the edges radiused slightly before moulding to reduce the sharpness of the feature and soften the edges , more like an aluminium body would be and blend better with the cars curves ....its easier to mould and produce as well .
Sounds like a lot of hard work.
I know my door skins on the 250swb are going to take quite a bit of work to get flat, not looking forward to it, but so far all the curved sections seem to be quite easy, I think the curves hide quite a bit.
Still think you are onto a winner, this sort of style is always transformed when the plexiglass windscreen is fitted.
Gary, I hope you've got the funds to get a demonstrator round the shows this spring as that's what'll start selling the kits. If you remember, it was old '66 that sold me on the concept and I'd say that it generated an awful lot of the sales you got (although the price helped too as the spyder 'kit' was an absolute bargain).
You're absolutely right that a few customer builds would stimulate interest, but possibly only among those who are already sold on the Sammio, Miglia or Tribute ranges.
A decent demonstrator would bring the car to a broader audience, like those who've always wanted a Seven, by blowing their minds when they see what else (quite a bit less of) their money could buy them.
I might even be persuaded to build one myself, once I've seen the demonstrator of course...
Towdie , You are right in many ways ....the guy pictured above bought one !! I think that was the show in Kent ... I am at the very least hoping to get a rolling chassis with engine and gearbox and the body and frame fitted with doors hung , lights fitted etc. to Stoneleigh .
Essentially , something that looks roadworthy but not on the road ..
First body out will be used to further develop the kit , framework etc. and will get damaged , so I will throw something together for myself with that one ...second one out is being partially fitted and built on the Vitesse outside the workshop ...so this may become the show car ..
Funds are very stretched at the moment , but Im in too deep to take my foot off the pedal ..Stoneleigh will soon come around , hoping to do Beaulieu Autojumble with it's large International attendence and also something in some form or another to put in the Goodwood Classic car car park at the Revival ...
The price you are charging sounds about right Gary, the package will be an excellent purchase for the prospective buyer, really not leaving to much to do compared to past builds on the sammio/navigator.
Watching with interest for a painted car and may be a video or two and good luck with this one.
Some progress made this week ...Glan has about a day left on the front drivers wing and another day shaping up and straightening the grille ..so hopefully by the weekend we will be looking at the body being ready to be prepped for the Durabuild ...
Because the front is so close , and I had the chance to take a high level picture ..I thought I would post this ....
I wish I could get far enough back to get a decent shot of the rear ...its got a great rear end !!
This one , with the drivers wing nearly finished , helps show the superb curvaceous rise the front has ...
I made this body wider for a few reasons , but one was so it is open to being fitted to alternative chassis , maybe , at a later date ...I am purely concentrating on the Triumph range at present as I want the car , primarily , to fit within the Classic Car and re-body categories ideally , retaining its Classic status etc...
But ....It may be of interest , that with an approx 3'' stretch on the rear of the bonnet and a lengthening of the lower wing section on the body , the width dimensions allow this to fit onto a Locost chassis .
I have one here and , with a repositioning of the cockpit framework , slightly , to get the seating position changed , the chassis would go under one of my bodies ......
Part of paint prep. is the re-discovering of the doors and shuts . These popped out quite easily as Glan had used 3mm hardboard gap formers that he had waxed , so the doors released pretty well ..we had a slight breakout on the front edge that needs a fix , the passenger one popped out nearly perfect ...
This pic shows the shut area and the nice deep cill , or half door feature ...The shuts will be squared up and moulded as show with the excess and then trimmed back afterwards ...
This pic gives an idea of the door in relation to the body .. The doors were made as a box initially to create the shuts . Now Glan has to step the rear inner edge back a couple of inches to give us a door that not only will open , but has room for a latch mechanism . As with the moulding of the bodies , these will be moulded oversize , in relation to internal depth and then trimmed back afterwards . The mould will be marked with a trim line .
Gary,
Thanks for the detailed info concerning donor chassis. I was hoping to utilize a miata, however, the track being 6 & 8" wider presents a dilemma.
Gary,
Thanks for the detailed info concerning donor chassis. I was hoping to utilize a miata, however, the track being 6 & 8" wider presents a dilemma.
Are you in the U.S. JD? If so, from our side of the pond it appears that you have some very relaxed laws governing home-built cars (depending on which State, maybe?).
Have you considered contacting a Hot Rod chassis builder and getting a quote for a purpose built spaceframe/tube chassis with the correct wheelbase and track for Gary's fibreglass body?
From experience it's a relatively straightforward process bonding the body onto a subframe rather than the remains of a donor body, and mine's been on the road for nearly four years with no issues.
By way of a bonus, you'd be able to specify your engine, transmission, axles etc. at the design stage and would end up with a car that drives just the way you like it.
