MadaboutKitcars

Slartibartfast - Good to see an update on your build thread.

Sorry I can't help with the technical questions.

However, at some point I need to get my car noise tested at Goodwood.

I seem to recall that you are based close (ish) to the circuit.

So, if you were interested, perhaps we could arrange to meet up?

I haven't arranged a date yet, so it is just a thought at this point.

Cheers, Paul.

Thanks Andrew, thanks Mr T, thanks Paul. I think I'll go down the Freelander route & report back.
Paul: with regards to getting together to go to Goodwood,....yep. I live in the GU27 area; about 20 miles from Goodwood. PM me & we can tie up sometime. Being retired I have all the time in the world ….except when I am on holiday travelling around the world.....in other words, pretty often. No doubt we can arrange something. Best. Slarti

Anyone going to Goodwood next week-end?
Again, I shall be in an acting role at Gate 2 …..
But..... I've been chipping away at the Sammio and would like some advice on seat harness: There is just 1 lug welded on the frame supplied but I can easily get another welded in place....Q: where should I fix the bottom mountings? Should I drill into the Herald chassis and weld in some fixings or can I safely fix to the frame supplied with the kit. This does have some bearing on whether I go down the 4 point fixing racing harness or something else.
Love to hear from anyone with advice.
Slarti

Hi Slarti, nice to hear that you're still working on your Spyder.

I'll be at the Revival Friday and Saturday in 'Iris' (my light blue Midget) so I'll keep an eye out for you.

I found the rear corners of the Spyder cockpit were a bit tight for space, so to get them in the most useable position, I centrally mounted my three-point, inertia seatbelts (so the diagonal strap came over the driver's left shoulder and passenger's right).

I attached the upper and inner lower mounts to the frame and the outer mount (for the rat-tail with the quick release mechanism attached) to a bracket welded across the seat runner. I had no problems with that setup, either in use or from my MOT chappie.

Bearing in mind that 50's racing cars didn't have safety belts at all, any seatbelt you fit, whether it's a classic aircraft buckle, modern inertia-reel or bright red nylon webbing racing harness will look fine as those in the know will just assume they were retro-fitted at some stage in its history.

Keep up the good work and hopefully see you at Goodwood.

Slarti - Like Mr T, I also welded my seat belt brackets to the framework.

Partly, this was to kept within the re-body rules that says the new body shell must bolted to the original chassis.

Good luck, Paul.

FANTASTIC week-end at Goodwood Revival; weather held out well. Sad thing, as I was acting/working all the time I didn't get much time to see any racing. However, as part of staff I do get access all areas which means the paddocks & drivers club !
Did anyone happen to see The Fab Four Beatles at gate 2? If so, it was me acting as their manager. In the morning, Brian Epstein and in the afternoon Allen (Al) Klein. Right …. better get on with the Sammio...see if I can get it to Goodwood next year ...Slarti

I was a last minute volunteer at Goodwood, but it took me a while to work how where everything was.

Hope it inspires you to keep chipping away at the car.

Good luck, Paul.

Were you wearing a black cap, black crew neck top with a blue jacket?

If so, you made a very brief appearance on the ITV4 coverage.

Lockdown has worked quite well for me. Wife hasn't forced me to go to a garden centre or shopping in Chichester so I've had a lot of time on the Sammio. Got all the lights and indicators working; now need to concentrate on the instrument panel.
A bit of advice from you guys who have put a bulge in the bonnet please: Can you give some advice on fibreglassing. I've got a mould (of sorts ....it's a stainless steel cowl from an extractor fan which is the right size and shape) Do I need a gel-coat or can I just get some release agent and start glassing up.?
Photos to follow
Slarti

Sorry, I've got to be quick now, but can come back later if you have any questions.

My effort starts here.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?p=70338&highlight=cling+film#post70338

No gel-coat for me, but it obviously then needed a coat of filler to give a smooth finish.

Hope that helps and good luck, Paul.

Hi Slarti, gel-coat makes fibreglass waterproof - without it water can get through the paint and discolour the surface beneath.

Assuming it's a female mould, I'd give the inside a dozen coats of release wax, each buffed to a shine and left for an hour before the next, then a coat of catalysed gel-coat, followed by four or five layers of CSM once it's tacky to the touch. That should give you something that's heavy duty and weatherproof.

Good luck and welcome back.

Thanks guys. Most helpful. I hope to get some photos uploaded soon. An engineering guy is making up some bits for me to stabilise the steering column and mount the seat belts. More soon
Slarti

Well, lockdown has certainly meant I have made a lot of progress. I, started to panel in the cockpit and in the process of making interior side panels in burgundy vinyl. I have not yet bonded the body to the frame just want to make sure everything fits first. The next job I'm going to tackle is trial fitting a wind deflector. So here's the question: Which material would you recommend, acrylic or Perspex? 3mm or 4mm and how easy is it to bend? Do I need to heat it?
So many questions, I hope you can help.

The lights and indicators work and I am about to ask my son to make up a nice wooden dashboard.

I hope I have attached some pictures.....

....oh, by the way, the air scoop seems to have worked well. I purchased a kit which included gelcoat. Thanks for the advice Mr T

Wind deflector material

I have a lot more knowledge of the options (than I previously had), due to experiencing a crack in my caravan window. When I cut and fitted the original windows (8 years ago) I used acrylic - VERY difficult to cut without it cracking! It seems the material of choice is polycarbonate, which is much easier to machine, and can even be bent cold! trring to source some (in the Covid times) is proving difficult and expensive, so I'll wait until I need to use the caravan next year. I won't be using acrylic again. I guess when (if?) shops don't need polycarbonate screen, there will be a lot of cheap second-hand material on the market, and the new product will be cheaper/available.

Thanks. More pictures to follow soon
Slarti

Nicet to see some more progress, Slarti, and it's coming together nicely.

I do like your battery location, very neat and it'll move some of the weight towards the back.

Another good day in the "office". Fitted the support for the wind deflector; just waiting for the polycarb to be delivered. Will make a start on covering the side panels with the vinyl. More pictures to follow.

Can I ask where you sourced the polycarbonate? Best deal I can see at teh moment is Screwfix or Toolstation.

Try this: https://www.sheetplastics.co.uk/
I ordered 4mm not yet received product yet but will post a comment when this arrives.

Thanks!

Yet another good day in the "office" ....glued the scrim to the side panels and very pleased with the results. The self tapping screws all "seem" to line up. Tomorrow I plan to attach the vinyl. Still awaiting the delivery of the polycarb for the wind deflector.
I've now made a bracket for the choke cable and connected this up. Works well. I got one for an MGB. Starter her up again as she had not been run for a few months .......runs lovely but I expect I will need it tuned a bit.
I think that very soon I will reach the "point of no return" when I finally bond the shell to the frame ..... keep your fingers crossed.
I hope I have attached some piccies.
Any help/advice/tips ....always welcome
Slarti

I can't believe the progress I'm making! Have now put the vinyl on the interior panels and test fitted them. These will come off before I bond the shell to the frame. I have tested .....and I will be able to fit these once the shell is in place. I need to work out how I am going to hinge the bonnet so any tips most welcome.
Slarti

The polycarb has arrived and I'm very pleased with it. You can cut it easily with a fretsaw and it drills pretty easy with a standard HSS drill, but do clamp it down. I filed it after cutting then sanded down with wet & dry. I'll polish the edges later. Really getting close to bonding the body to the frame now. Our son has got the dashboard template to make a start on that. Started making the panels for the footwells; bit awkward trying to fit but I'm sure I'll work out something. More photos to follow idc.

With a bit of a struggle lining up the existing brackets to the new holes required I have now trimmed out the footwells. Onward and upward.