MadaboutKitcars

Mac - Hope you liked it.

Scottie - In fairness, my gap is wider than both Mac & Swifty's due to my home made scuttle profile.
Having said that, the original set up would still not cover both wheels at the same time & is definitely "cock-eyed".

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Slowly, But Surely - Part 1
When the rain finally stopped I could remove the covers completely to see the bonnet in line with the rest of the body shell.

The passenger side looks pretty good to me, with the bulges over the wheels being roughly in line.



The driver's side doesn't look quite as good by comparison, but it is certainly thereabouts.



By standing on some steps I could get a better "overall" photo.



Which simply reminds me not to worry about these things too much, as very little else lines up, or matches.

However, despite this, the car should still make a "head turning" first impression when finished.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I wanted to start fibre glassing the gap in the bonnet, before I removed it and carried it to the back garden.

As the last thing I want to do is twist the bonnet while carrying it and then "set it" in the wrong shape.

It took a bit of beard scratching & a failed attempt to use modelling mesh before I worked out how to form my mould.

I needed to build a ridge between the headlight area and the bonnet nose and thankfully the yoga mat came to the rescue.





Note:
I did "tuck in" the foam at the bottom edge before I started.

As before, I used up some of my matting "scraps" as well as fresh fibreglass sheets.



I hope this will give me a solid base to work with, so I can do any final shaping required from the front.

The forecast promised rain at some point today, so I covered up the back of the car and left the first round of 'glassing to set.



The eagle eyed amongst you will notice I have not started work on the lower valance at this point.

As I figured it would make my life easier if I had something solid to fix the lower section to before I tried to 'glass it in.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next area I wanted to prepare a mould for was the "dip" where the wing meets the bonnet.

Once again the yoga mat was called into service to provide the basis of a curve.



I also used some parcel tape covered card to complete the job.



Which looks a complete mess on the other side.



It is pretty flat towards the back edge of the bonnet, so that was easy to prepare for.



However, at this point the temperature had dropped noticeably and the dark clouds were gathering overhead.



I really have learnt not to push my luck with the weather when fibre glassing, so I've covered up instead.



The good news was that the first round of fibreglass work was set pretty solid by now.

End of Part 1...

Slowly, But Surely - Part 2
But the really good news was that I was safely inside when a biblical storm arrived.

Lashing rain, thunder & lightening, followed by hailstones!

Although I couldn't get a photo that would really do it justice, but here what my workshop ended up looking like.



Once the storm had passed I went out to sweep the hail off the covers.

Then made the most of it to get the second round of fibre glassing completed.

The "dip".



The rear.



Now I have "healed" a large section of the gap, it should be OK to move the bonnet when this has set solidly.



But I will leave it where it is for now and just cover it up again for tonight.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Brass Monkeys - Part 1
I started by removing a selection of my "rag tag" fixing brackets & moulds.



Despite doing this kind of repair work for a while now, I still enjoy the fact that is actually works!

Then I countersunk the screw holes from above & ground the areas around the screw holes from underneath, plus any stray bits of matting.

Which gave me the chance to see if the bonnet shape was at least heading in the right direction.



I'm happy that the yoga mat did provide the basis of a "dip" between the wing & the bonnet.



I am also well on the way to having something to work with where the headlight meets the hose.





Obviously I wasn't expecting the bonnet to be "good to go" at this stage.

Especially given all the work Swifty had to do to re-shaped his nose (below).



So the next step was to prepare the remaining gaps, which as usual doesn't look very promising from this side.





But at least it looks a bit more respectable on the side that matters.





At this point I had to come back indoors to warm up a bit, as I was losing the feeling in my fingers!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The cold was one thing, but the wind was a real pain in the butt.

I used a wheelie bin to act as a wind break to give my working area some shelter.



The first round of fibreglass matting (& scraps) covered the nose/headlight area.



The second round covered the last couple of gaps and the screw holes from below.



Seeing WCA's "Rocking Chair" next door made me smile, as this has been my seat while doing this work.



So now the bonnet is completed re-joined apart from the rear edge which needs to be re-profiled and extended.



Once again, I was glad of the excuse to leave that to set for a while and come back indoors.

End of Part 1...

Brass Monkeys - Part 2
My next job was to have a look at how I might be able to restore the lower valance.

This was the section I previously cut out.



So I made a cardboard template to match it and used that to work out where it would foul the chassis.





With templates for both sides done, I could mark up the original piece and cut a couple of sections out.





This is not a great photo, but I also had to grind the bottom edge of the driver's side hinge for clearance.



Then I fixed some brackets to the bottom section, so I start at the passenger side and work my way along.



After fixing a few more brackets along the edge the lower valance was back in positon.



Obviously there is a mismatch at the driver's end, due to the bonnet chop & nose job.

Which leaves me with two areas to sort out:
- I need to "even up" the bottom edge to give me a nice "sweep" from one side to the other.
- I also need to work out what to do with the chassis cut out sections.

Here are the cut outs in action, although the angle of the first photo doesn't help.
( The red dashes actually line up with the masking tape mark on the chassis. )





The good news is that they do their job and allow the bonnet to open without hitting the chassis.



So once today's bonnet healing work had set, I can remove the bonnet and start on the lower valance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The final job of the day was to add some extra protection from the weather to the bonnet.



As my tarpaulin only covers this much and will simply direct the rain into today's fibreglass work.
( The car cover that goes over the top is really for decoration, as it is so porous. )



As the forecast is for a pretty wild night.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Overall, it is clearly complete madness to be building a car outside at this time of year.

However, I did manage to take a couple of decent strides forward, so it was well worth it.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
Yesterday's Storm:
If I thought my "workshop" got a hammering, apparently there was a mini tornado in Harrow.

This is the damage it caused to a garage that is less than two miles from here!

Bonnet Plans & Progress:
Last night I was looking at photos of Mr T's car, while thinking about what to do with my chassis cut outs.

Then, in another "I couldn't see the wood for the trees" moment, this photo really jumped out at me.



So I went back to this "Three Amigos" photo...



Which clearly shows Mr T's lower valance with what looks like a "cut out" that looks completely normal.

So in the spirit of KISS, I will not try to add bulges or anything else to my cut outs.

I still intend to "even out" the whole lower valance area in a similar way to Swifty.



But I plan to change the profile of the bottom edge into a series of gentle curves either side of the cut outs.

As I think it is the sharp angles where the curved cuts meet the original straight edge that look odd when viewed from the front.

So I marked up where the lower valance meets the chassis to help me re-shape the edge later on.



Hopefully a more "organic" edge will not stand out, especially when painted BRG, which should blend in with the shadows.

Part of my problem is that I am taking photos while lying on the ground, which is hardly a "normal" view.

So this morning I removed all the brackets and formers from the main cut through the bonnet & took a "standing up" view photo.



So in normal circumstances you can't even see the lower valance!

I took a few other photos and am confident that by the time I have finished the filler work it will look OK.







Which ties back to something DaveCymru posted the other day about the look of a 50s racing car.

I am not trying to build a perfect replica of anything (although AC Cobra is still the most popular suggestion of people passing by :icon_wink.

As long as I can finish the build and get it on the road I will be happy.

There was another area I wanted to check and that was the depth of my lower valance.

It currently runs across from the bottom edge of the wing, which is why it would foul the chassis.



Then I unbolted the bonnet so I could work on it and take a better photo of the inside.



Now when I compare that to a photo of Mac's bonnet...



It would appear that his bottom edge "steps in" a bit compared to the bottom of the wing, which must help his bonnet opening clearances.

Given that Mac & Swifty have different bonnet hinge arrangements, it is hard to get a true "like for like" comparison.

I then very carefully carried the bonnet through the house to the back garden, as it is now bigger & heavier than before.

Where I added the first round of fibreglass matting to re-join the lower valance back to the bonnet.



I also covered the last few screw holes from the brackets I removed earlier.



Another piece of this bonnet jigsaw will be the final shape of the front wheel arches.

Currently the profiles of the two return edges are different.





But I will not worry about that until I work out what I am doing with the arches themselves.

End of Part 1...

Bonnet Work - Part 2:
I left the first round of fibreglass to set for a while before returning to the bonnet.

Then I turned it over, making sure there was no weight on the lower valance.



I then countersunk the remaining screw holes, & roughed up all the fibreglass & gel coat around the join.

Unfortunately, just as I had finished that work I felt a drop of rain.

So I quickly protected the fresh fibreglass work.



Before covering the rest of the bonnet & retreating back inside.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Once the rain clouds were gone I headed back out, just in time to see this flying overhead.



Then I mixed up some fibreglass filler & made a start.





While that was setting I propped the bonnet up so I could get access to remove the lower valance brackets.



Then I crawled inside the bonnet to grind the area around the back of the screw holes.



This was quite a tight space to work in, but I got a round of fibreglass matting over the screw holes.

I also put an extra strip along the length of the join while I was at it.



I left that to start setting before eventually coming back out for the final job of the day.

Which was to sand back the filler.





I've left it a bit rough between the headlight and the nose cone, as I need to build this area up a bit more.
( I wanted to get the headlight area sorted out first, then I can bring the nose out to meet it. )

There is a definite dip between the bonnet and the wing.



Although, obviously, this dip is definitely not a mirror image of the other side.



But I'll be happy as long as I can set a smooth transition across the repaired area.

It was too late to start any more work, so I packed up and called it a day.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul, looking at your bonnet from dead ahead, if it were mine I'd put a long, narrow and relatively low air scoop over the nearside dip. That would effectively disguise the difference between the two sides and provide a ram air effect for your carburettors.

You're right about my front valance, I cut most of the material away from underneath the grille to clear the chassis rails and radiator when you open the bonnet. You can only see it when you squat down to take photos, standing up it's completely obscured from view by the bonnet.

Keep up the good work.

this past wekk it's all been about bonnet so I'll show you a neat trick for an opening bonnet strap.
It's the first thing people notice when the bonnet opens.








All done with an old seat belt, best of all it reels up all by it's self when the bonnet is shut
I think it's one of my better ideas

Paul may be you can have a lower valance by not opening your bonnet as far, i've checked both the photo of my bonnet open and gone out side to check it again and it does give enough room for future maintenance so may be the answer is to move the stops in slightly or weld an extra stop in place. Which ever way you go i think it wise to make a bracket to prevent the bonnet closing under windy conditions while working on the engine.



Even the original spitfire bonnet did not open fully upright. You can see roughly the angle of my bonnet which stays up under its own weight.

Just though i would add this to the equation and your bonnet shape is getting there.

Mister Towed - I like the idea of a ram air scoop for the carbs.

But I can live with some "quirky" bonnet curves, as they in keeping with the rest of the car.
Jokes aside, I hope the yellow band around the bonnet nose will draw your eye away from everything else.

I've taken a lot of positives from your "on the road" experiences, especially what people never notice.
By the time I've put a nice shape on the lower valance edge, I hope it will look "factory".

Micky1Mo - Your use of a seat belt is a great example of thinking outside of the box!

Swifty - Thanks for taking the trouble to check your own bonnet and post the Spitfire photo.
I've just looked through my own photos and don't have a single one showing the original bonnet angle.

My current idea is to actually extend the section of the lower valance between the two cut outs a bit.



So that it can be shaped into a nice curve as part of my "wavy" bottom edge.

Finally, thanks for the brilliant safety / hinge locking tip.
I will try to make something that will slot in between the horizontal & vertical sections.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Battening Down The Hatches:
I had a race against time this morning to get a bit more done on the car before the weather closed in.
( Based on the forecast it will be Monday before I will get another chance to play outside. )

My first job was to tidy up the Summer House (again ).

Then I ground out the "sunny side" of the lower valance join.



I used the last of my fibreglass matting scraps & some bits I'd chopped up earlier to make "home brew" filler.



This really is as messy as fibreglass work gets, but at least the gap was filled in a bit.





Hopefully by the time I've finished tidying up this mess & added some filler, you will not be able to see the join.

My biggest worry about the weather was the predicted frost overnight.
( Although if we actually get snow as well, that is hardly going to help. )

I have decided to protect the fibreglass work on the bonnet as much as I can.

So now you see it...



And now you don't...





Obviously I will need to "air" the Summer House when the bonnet finally comes out.

As I remember Mr T's vidid description of fibreglass work leaving him smelling like a canoe factory.

Even if the weather stops play for a few days, I am really happy with the progress I've made this week.

As just 7 days ago, the bonnet still looked like this.



So until next time, take care, Paul.

"Summer House" or "Sammio House"? Great progress, Paul, keep it up. I can't believe that there won't be another update until Monday.

Well done Paul, a positive move forward with the bonnet. You must be really chuffed to get the fit and look you have bearing in mind what you started with. I am amazed you have soldiered on with the weather as it is. Have a beer (or hot chocolate!) you have earned it.

That is looking really good matey!
Like Towed, i ended up really trimming the bottom edge of the bonnet on my Sammio so that it could open as much as i wanted and TBH on-the-road you never noticed it. So i think you'll be fine.

Oxford - Looks like you will not have to wait until Monday for an update after all.

Froggyman - Thanks, the bonnet is definitely heading in the right direction.

Dave - Cheers, it is reassuring to know that others have also chopped their lower valance.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nice Out:
The really bad weather forecast for yesterday never arrived, but it was certainly very cold overnight.
( So well worth the effort of tucking the bonnet in for the night. )

Similarly, there was nothing more than a light flurry of snow today.

So once that had cleared, I wandered down to the "Sammio House" as Oxford has re-named it.

After turning the bonnet around I could get better access to the lower valance.

Unfortunately, I had to open all the doors & windows to clear the last of the resin fumes, so I wasn't technically working "indoors".

With curves all over the places, the "straight" lines I drew don't look great in the photos.

But I was still able to mark up a black "cutting" line for the area that sits in between the chassis rails.



So far, so good, but extending this line to meet the wings will take a bit of fibreglass "extension" work.

A bit like the rear of the car, if the curves are different then things will not line up perfectly.

To be honest there is not a "significant" difference, so I have no intention of re-working the bottom of the wings.

Instead, I will simply draw a best fit line and get on with it.

On the driver's side I just need to build up the area around the join a little.



But on the passenger side I need to build up the whole section from the chassis cut out to the wing.



Hopefully, if I go back to this previous photo, the lines above will make some sense.



So on the left of the photo is the driver's side and the "point" resting on the block will be removed.

Whereas, on the passenger side, it should switch from a slightly concave curve to a slightly convex one.

Given the feedback that you don't really notice this area, that will do and be close enough.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I had to wait until the afternoon to allow the temperature to rise a bit before I could set to work.

In the end, I did just "tweak" the passenger side wing, so I could achieve a more gentle curve heading towards the chassis cut out.





After a quick tidy up of the edges with my grinder, I clamped two formers into place.





Before adding some fibreglass matting over the top.





Hopefully this photo gives you some idea of where the "wavy" bottom edge will end up.



Note:
Once the edge has been cut, I will add extra matting along the edge to re-enforce it / help it hold it's shape.

The position of the clamps meant there was no way I could re-position the bonnet to do any filler work in another area.

So that is it for today, although I will put the bonnet back in the Summer House later on to protect it over night.

Given I didn't expect to do any work until Monday, I'm happy to treat these little jobs as a nice bonus.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Extra Time:
While there wasn't enough daylight left to start any filler work, I did do a little bit more...

I made a cardboard template to replicate the 3D shape of the passenger headlight area.





Which, when reversed, gives me a guide line for the filler work required to build up the bonnet nose.





This will not give me a perfect copy of the shape, but it should be a half decent approximation.

By now the fibreglass work had set hard enough for me to remove the formers.





Then I quickly ran my grinder over the "sunny side" of the lower valance join & these new extension areas.



That way if the weather is OK in the morning I can slap some filler on without waking the neighbours with my grinder.

Right, that is definitely it for today, cheers, Paul.

Another Bonus Day:
Well I can hardly complain if the weather hasn't been as bad as Friday's initial forecast.

So once the morning's rain has passed, I re-drew my cutting line on the lower valance.





Although it was still too early to start using my jigsaw.

So instead, I propped the bonnet up & mixed up some fibreglass filler.

I built up the back of the bonnet nose where it joined the headlight area.





I also covered the screw holes and join on the lower valance.





The last bit of filler was used to improve the transition in the middle of the bonnet join.



I know this looks like a lot of filler, but it isn't very deep and there is a solid base of fibreglass underneath.

I left the filler to set for a while and got on with some other domestic chores.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

By the time I returned to the bonnet, it was OK to "fire up the jigsaw" & cut the lower valance.



I just put a bit of hardboard underneath to make it easier to see the wavy line.



While I had the noisy toys out, I did a bit of fine tuning to the edges of the grille with my angle grinder.
(As one of the next jobs is to ensure I have an even flat surface for the grille to rest against. )



But by now, the filler was hard enough for me to start sanding it down.

I really must stop leaving excess filler in place, as it is hard work removing it.

Still, it is great to finally see the basic shapes I am trying to achieve slowly coming together.

Lower valance - Before:



After:



Bonnet - Before:



After:



And finally, here is a comparison of the headlight/nose gap.

Passenger side:



Driver's side:



I am sure this will all look a bit better after a skim with normal body filler & a coat of etch primer.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Great to see it coming together and starting to be smooth.

Looking good Paul you are getting closer to bonding the body on, is this the last of the major body cut and shut needed to bring the body in line.

Excellent work, most inspiring. Ed.

Really nice look you've ended up with!

You're getting really close to having all that bodywork 'done' now!

Oxford & Ed - Cheers chaps.
I am always very nervous when the Dr Frankenstein butchery begins.
But at least these days I have a fighting chance of repairing the damage.
( Provided I don't mind a hint of Hillbilly in the finished article. )

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Swifty & Dave - Thankfully, this is definitely the last of the major cut & shut work.

Although the minor alterations "To Do" list may still take some time.
- Join the bottom rear sections of the bonnet to the sides of the body shell.
- Re-shape the front wheel arches across both the bonnet and the body shell.
- Reshape the bonnet hose external opening edge / internal grille lip.
- Finish the re-profiling of the rear edge of the bonnet to match the bulkhead.
- Drill holes for the front indicators & petrol filler cap (so I can re-enforce the edges underneath).
- Finish sorting out the boot access panel.
- Finish off the cockpit sides (although I may do this after the body shell is bonded on).

Plus the "Go Kart" needs a bit of final prep. before the body shell can go on.

Having said all that, I now know for certain that I can finish this build, it is just a question of when.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Monday:
It is fair to say I've thrown a lot of hours at the bonnet recently.
- The good news is that is just what was needed to make some decent, morale boosting, progress.
- The bad news is that I am now behind in a few non car related areas, so will need to catch up with those.

So there will be no car work today, but I do have a small update...

DVLA:
I waited until today's post arrived and as there was still no revised V5C I finally gave Swansea a ring.

I spoke to the nice man who has been guiding me through this process and there was a slight problem.
- The good news is that the error on my first revised V5C (that I returned) has been fixed.
- The bad news is that the system was not set to automatically send me the corrected version.

This was manually fixed while I was on the phone, so the wheels are in motion.

So if all goes well I should have my new V5C by the end of next week.

Then I can finally reveal what my car will be called.

Cheers, Paul.

[IMG][/IMG]

Scottie - Matching helicopters... spooky!

Although I when I saw the Chinook I thought an organisation based near you, rather than one in Swansea.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Brain Freeze - Part 1:
The sub-zero start to the day meant it was just too cold to work with resin, or filler.

So I started by marking the lower valance for a further trim.



As the more I looked at the previous photos, the more this line didn't look quite right.

Next I went back to this photo of #274, which was a Pilot/Spyder body with a Navigator/Cordite bonnet.



Then I quickly found my front indicators surrounds using my new storage box filing system.

Although I couldn't find a really suitable surface directly under the headlight.



So I opted for an alternative position, between the headlight and the bonnet nose.



Then I marked up some masking tape before drilling a small pilot hole.



Then I was able to use my cheap (& useless on metal) hole saw set.



Which gave me my first hole.



There are some small bolts on my indicators, one of which hold an earth wire in place.



So I had to file three small notches around the edge of the hole.



This allowed the indicator to sit nicely and it is pretty close to the body work on one side.



Although this leaves a small gap to be filled on the other side.



Not that it is much help, but here is the "side on" view with the bonnet upside down.



So far, so good, but the real challenge came when I tried to find a matching position for the other indicator.

The harsh reality is that no two parts of the bonnet/wing are exactly the same on either side, so nothing lines up.

So in the absence of a laser guide (which I am now quite jealous of) I tried a mixture of things.





By the time I reached this point I was seriously cold and decided to come in and check the last photo on my computer screen.

Unfortunately it was clear that this was still not a good match and needed further adjustment.

I then got a call that my daughter was not well (nothing serious) and needed to be picked up from school.

The best thing about working in the garden is I can just leave everything where it is and go.

Although I did have to change out of my working clothes before I left.

This was at 11.15am & I still had to scrape the ice off my car windows and the car thermometer read zero degrees.

So I dread to think was it was when I starting work.

Once my daughter was taken care of and fast asleep, I headed back outside to finish things off as quickly as I could.

End of Part 1...

Brain Freeze - Part 2:
Thankfully being in the warmth for a bit seemed to de-ice my brain and I had an idea.

Rather than try to line things up on the outside, I took my measurements from the inside.



Quite by chance, my set square covered the hole, so I could mark a matching "square" on the other side.



A quick check with a straight edge gave me the confidence that I was pretty close.



So I drilled a pilot hole from the inside and marked up the outside edge.



This allowed me to have a final check with the indicator lens taped into position before I drilled the bigger main hole.



After filing the same three notches as before I could fit the indicator and have another look.



In the context of this build, I am calling that good enough for me.

Then, because I already had the storage box with all my lights out, I just couldn't resist it...



Hopefully the body coloured headlight rims will look a bit better than the tape currently holding the lights in place.
( I've also got a pair of stone guard grilles for the headlights too. )

When I was tidying up the mess I'd made, I compared the two indicator "holes".



So I will only need to re-force the side that was spared the "cut & shut" butchery.

Next I added a rough guide line for the extra depth required on the internal lip to my cardboard template.



It is along the bottom edge that requires the most work & this corresponds with this view.



The last thing I wanted to do was give the join along the main bonnet section a light dusting of etch primer.
( Although I got a bit carried away and covered the "nose job" area while I was at it. )



Hopefully this will give me a better view of the bonnet angles to guide me during the next round of filler.

Although the wet paint / reflections in the photo make it look like I've built a corrugated bonnet!

Anyway, that's all for now, take care, Paul.

Flying Visit...
Only had a few minutes to play outside, which was just as well as it was bitterly cold.

One thing I must get around to doing is removing these flash lines on both sides of the lower valance.



Although I might leave that work until after I have sorting out the wheel arch profiles.

I decided to quickly spray some (warmed up) etch primer over the rest of the repair areas.

As I figured it would help me see how much "normal" body filler work was required.

This time I left the paint to dry for a while before I took the photos.

I think the lower valance looks a bit better following the light trim I gave it yesterday.



The bonnet nose definitely looks miles better than before.



Part of the main bonnet join still needs a bit of gentle re-shaping to the right of the dip, but isn't too bad.



Overall, I think the healing power of paint has made me feel a lot better about this work.

Right, I've got to go, take care, Paul.