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Another irritating picture of green bits. But, it is evidence of progress. All suspension is now ready. I just wish I had stripped the steering rack for refurbishing sooner. I need to get it cleaned, primed and sprayed before it gets cold. Perhaps I will have to admit defeat and get a heater down at The Glade.
I had a 56 Chevy years ago in dark green and pale green two tone , it looked fantastic....very period colour....
The pale green on the Figaro's is a nice colour for using as well....
I had an M6 kit years ago as well......about 1990 ...It was a Manta Montage , had the renault V6 in it , modified Beetle floorpan etc....great car to look at , absolute a*sehole to drive though....I was a lot younger , slimmer and fitter back then and could barely get in and out of it without making a tit of myself....
Mine was the car that was imported and built in the magazines in the 80's ..I bought it about 1989 in bits and put it back together again....paid about 2000 from memory and sold it finished for about 4000
The pale green on the Figaro's is a nice colour for using as well....
I think it's going to look stunning too, despite asking about the owl and the pussy cat thing.
Nissan do some nice fifties inspired colours, I had the 'Vanilla' shade they offered on the Micra on my short-list for a while until my favourite, silver, won the contest.
And am I the only straight chap in the Universe that actually likes the Figaro?
And am I the only straight chap in the Universe that actually likes the Figaro?
No, there are at least two of us. I love the shape and the original colour schemes. I very nearly went for a set of Figaro gauges when I was toying with black on white - two neat dials with all gauges in-built. They are a little bit pricey but I expect a bargain could be found.....
No, there are at least two of us. I love the shape and the original colour schemes. I very nearly went for a set of Figaro gauges when I was toying with black on white - two neat dials with all gauges in-built. They are a little bit pricey but I expect a bargain could be found.....
That's lovely and a bargain. Could it be made to work on a Sammio?
Oh, and it's nice to know I'm not the only big, burly chap that likes ridiculous, camp cars. If you look at some of my pictures you'll see my wife's Micra in the background. I actually bought that new for myself in 2007 and I looked liked Mr Incredible in it. I loved it though, but my wife asked to borrow the keys, and before I knew what was happening, her private reg appeared on it and I found myself driving her Merc (which I hated).
I would have thought so. I think I am going to get a set of Mazda MX5 internals to work (all tests have been positive so far). I have made life easy by going for an MX5 tank and sender, and I am using an MX5 VDO sender for oil pressure (which fits to the Triumph block via a simple thread converter). The temp gauge works with the Triumph sender and the tacho works as you would expect. The biggest challenge was going to be the speedo cable drive, but I have joined the two outers by way of a short tube so that a Mazda end attaches to the speedo, and a Triumph end attaches to the gearbox. The MX5 inner works a treat and fits the drive in the gearbox.
I'm sure the same could be done on a Figaro.
Of course, this has all been done on the bench.........but it will work on the road........probably.
After waiting for three weeks for my hub adapters to arrive from the US, I've just had a card from Parcel Force telling me that I owe £34.99 Import VAT plus an £8 Customs Clearance fee. This adds ~25% to the original cost of £175 for item and postage.
I can look on the bright side that I paid £27.50 for a set of wheels with good Michelin tyres.
Never mind, it's only money..............
They should arrive tomorrow so I shall provide an update regarding quality when I have them in my hands.
The hub adapters arrived this afternoon. They do look good and are rather tactile if you like machined aircraft-grade aluminium.
They each weigh just over a kilo. The wheels that the maker suggests (such as the BMW Mini) have an offset that compensates for the width of the adapter - ~27mm. It will be interesting to see how the wheels fill the arches. We shall see in about 6 months!
The new 12mm wheel lugs that I bought will need to be trimmed by a couple of mm so that they do not sit proud of the adapter face. Another job to add to the list............
So, for an all-in cost of £210 (I did receive four, by the way), are they worth it? Ask me in a couple of years.
Funnily, they do come with a "lifetime guarantee". I'm assuming that if one breaks, then my "lifetime" will end at roughly the same time, so I doubt if I will ever claim on that one.
Hi, they look good and more substantial in comparison to the cheaper ones with the sliding bolt arrangement. Combined with your wheel and tyre cost that is still cheaper than wires, easier to clean and maintain as well. Your photos have also reminded me that I have boxes of wood flooring to lay amongst other things before I can start any build. I did however manage to get the Vitesse up on four axle stands on Monday to see how much chassis came with my purchase. What I can see looks OK.
Hi, they look good and more substantial in comparison to the cheaper ones with the sliding bolt arrangement. Combined with your wheel and tyre cost that is still cheaper than wires, easier to clean and maintain as well. Your photos have also reminded me that I have boxes of wood flooring to lay amongst other things before I can start any build. I did however manage to get the Vitesse up on four axle stands on Monday to see how much chassis came with my purchase. What I can see looks OK.
Yes, I laid all the floors prior to buying my donor! Part of the agreement if I remember correctly.
Let's see some pics of your chassis. It's always good to have before and afters.
Not much time in the last two weeks thanks to the arrival of a puppy.
One good thing about every car item being clean or new is that I could fit my bushes whilst entertaining the dog and watching Scotland v New Zealand, i.e. in my living room.
Although there were no orange poly bushes in 1952, I think the combination achieves a rather fetching retro look.
Some proved harder to fit than others, but I got there in the end.
Maybe i can do this sort of stuff over christmas... do you keep the paint in the spray canister with a piece of cling film on the top? Do you keep paint at home?
I've found paint quite forgiving when storing. I do keep it at home before using, and I would take off the chill with a heater if I was going to spray during the next three or four months. I use two moisture traps which helps as well.
Gary - it is a good feeling to see all the parts stacking up. I wrapped mine in bubble wrap between priming and applying the top coat and stored them in the loft. They have now been re-wrapped ready for taking to the workshop to be used one by one. I am now faced with a big Meccano set. And, like during my childhood, there are no instructions. Can't wait. I hope to get the suspension towers bolted to the chassis this week and at least make a start on the front corners. That will be a landmark in my mental build diary.
Paul - It does indeed. It's a brilliant feeling to have turned that corner. I shall be putting the complete rolling chassis together during the cold months. I anticipate that progress could be reasonable, but we shall see.
O, before your thread leaves the front page have you been doing much?
Thanks for asking, Gary. The answer is no and yes. The reason for the "no" is this -
He is taking more time than I anticipated and is a bit too young to be left on his own, so those spare moments when I was sneaking to The Glade are no more. I would take him with me but the resident dog isn't at all friendly to other dogs.
However, I have been using this short break to indulge in some auto retail therapy. I have stock-piled just about everything I need including a Spitfire MkIII cam that Canleys have managed to get a small supply of. Other items include new electronic distributor and final engine bits such as push rods and followers. Now, the only major item that I don't have is the harnesses. This is because I am undecided as to which option to take.
I am currently making some space in the garage/pantry/washroom attached to the house so that I can have a small bench. I can then assemble all four suspension corners before attaching to chassis. Small jobs in a warmer environment might be sensible in the next three months.
The other minor hold up is because I gave my M12 wheel lugs to a local secondary school. I thought it would make a nice project to shorten them and chamfer the heads. They are doing a good job but it is taking longer than I anticipated because there is little money to keep the lathes working.
Nice work. 
