MadaboutKitcars

I take your point Paul, at least I still have the option of painting it, but as I said earlier. I don't think it will be visible after all the trim is in the cockpit.

Ok, i'm having a sense of humor failure... now I'm done riveting i find out about air riveters!!

Monday

Bet you have aching hands Dave! Air power is the answer.

I have worked on the car most of the day and it really does not look much different, but I do feel I have achieved a lot, in fact I know I have.

Most of the "work" has been the 7 "p's"

Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance.

I spent hours measuring, re-positioning the trans tunnel slightly, planning and scheming,and forming "cunning plans". Due to my car being 5 inches narrower than the original Jag, my handbrake had to go a little more in towards the centre of the car so's not to intrude into the passengers leg area, this has caused problems with the final top trim positioning, and of course made the whole job a lot more difficult. (Par for course on this build)
But I am used to this now hence the lengthy 7 P process.)

I think I now know how best to construct the trans tunnel so it looks right, and is reasonably easy to do.

Somewhere along this route, I decided to do something that the "Attention to detail" Gods had been demanding for a long time now.

I drilled 236 small holes in the bodywork. Yes two hundred and thirty six holes.

Starting to look like a Swiss cheese you may think?
Not really, as the holes were drilled in the centre of each fake rivet that the body shell came with. ( Not all the way through, just "blind" holes)

The rivets which I used to construct the centre divider and all the rest of the interior look right because they are real, and have the characteristic little hole in the centre, but the ones in fibre glass don't, and it looked a bit suspect and fake.

It no longer looks that way, and I think it was worth the effort. Once painted the drilled- out rivets will look much more believable.

It has to be attention to detail every time. Which I believe is the main difference between a believable car,and a hastily chucked-together kit car.

Very time consuming, but I think worth it for the difference in looks at the end.

I now have the wooden strips which will finish off the trans tunnel at the edges.

Here are some pics:

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Scottie, just a thought... could you grind the fibreglass ones down and re-rivet with the ones you use? so that they match.

Not in time for Stoneleigh Gary :-)

Or put another way, Foxtrot Oscar :-)

Long ago and far away I re-panelled my Lotus Seven S1 using 1300 3/16 rivets- using a hand riveter- broke two of them. Should have drafted in Steve Austin.

Scotty - you could run a bead of this stuff along the join of each panel:

http://www.intek-uk.com/stainless_steel_silver_aluminium-sealant.html

A.

I mean 'Scottie', of course......

I knew that Petrolman!!

Hey Retroman, I just followed that link and it looks good stuff.

How on earth did you discover it?
Have you used it yourself, and how does it come packaged,and in what sizes?

Thinking I'd need something for tidying up the aluminium panels on the Pembleton (when I actually get to that stage), I did a search for aluminium sealant (with a view to getting an appropriately coloured silicon RTV).

Haven't bought it yet - but certainly looks as though it'll do the job. The Silkaflex will do the heavy bonding stuff, this being merely for finishing off between panels.

I will keep that stuff in mind Retroman.
I you use it before me give me a sit-rep on how good/bad it is.

Okay, today I did the drivers side trans tunnel panel, and for once did not do a cardboard pattern, I just measured up and cut the thing out.

I am sick of cardboard patterns, but sometimes they have to be made. Got away with it this time, and will make the passengers side panel the same way.

I also sourced out a lump of wood for the trans tunnel top, which will be easier to work to the complex shape it will need to be, to fit around the handbrake and look good.

I can't wait to do that, as now the car is starting to look like it should, and I'll be covering the trans top in red leather soon.

Some pics to look at:

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What a difference that looks now! Great job. Keep at it, you certainly have Stoneleigh in your sights now.

Scottie - I agree with Froggyman that the panelling is really coming together now and making a big difference.

Good luck, Paul.

Wednesday

I have now got to the stage in the build where I can really see the light at the end of the tunnel shining quite brightly.

It has given me a second wind if you like, and the stuff I am currently doing, I am really enjoying. And believe me, that does make a change!

Today I cut out and built the nearside trans tunnel panel. It was straightforward to do and almost a mirror image of the drivers side.

I used my air nibbler to make the curvy cut-outs, which made the job really easy.

If anyone out there is thinking of buying one, I can recommend the SP one which I have.

Don't make the same mistake I did and buy the cheaper one. I bought a "Hilka" nibbler, (as I always thought Hilka was a good make) and it well could be, but perhaps mine was a Chinese copy, I don't know.

All I know is that it did work well, but would not cut the thickness it claimed to cut. So I did some more research and for about twice the price, I bought the SP one. Fantastic tool, well built, never let me down.

If anyone wants the Hilka one, its free to a good home, so PM me and its yours.

It does work, but would not cut the stainless steel I bought it to cut.
Whereas the SP romps through the lot.

So I fitted the panel and then started to slice up the wooden beading for the trim on the trans top, at this stage the day was gone.

Oh, I almost forgot, I also marked out the lucky competition winner bit of wood for shaping to fit on the trans top (another day.)


Pics:

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Absolutely flying now Scottie...

loving the attention to detail Scotty - making GRP lumps look like tucker pops

retroman - must be Phil from retro-rides?

Thursday

Scimjim, Froggyman, Landmannnnnnnn and Paul,
thanks for the positive feedback!

I am starting to feel like I'm on a roll, and while that feels good, I don't want to get over confident and head for a fall!

I have spent most of the morning shaping the wooden trans tunnel top, and the side slats.

I have got it to a nearly finished stage now, so will have some lunch and see how I feel after that. Normal life has to go on in between the build!

Pics:

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Thursday

Scimjim, Froggyman, Landmannnnnnnn and Paul,
thanks for the positive feedback!

I am starting to feel like I'm on a roll, and while that feels good, I don't want to get over confident and head for a fall!

I have spent most of the morning shaping the wooden trans tunnel top, and the side slats.

I have got it to a nearly finished stage now, so will have some lunch and see how I feel after that. Normal life has to go on in between the build!

Pics:

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is it simply cable length that's dictating the handbrake position or is there obstruction below (I don't imagine you're sacrificing form over function )?

Hi Scimjim,

I did the mod well over a year ago, and at the time put the handbrake where it is now for several reasons.

Not in any order of importance:

Yes, I left the cable original and the same length, an easy option if it ever needs replacing, the lever felt really functional and comfortable in its present position.

I put the lever closer to the centre than the XKSS, as my car is narrower and the lever would have intruded into the passengers
leg area had it been further left.

All in all, I still feel that the handbrake is in the best position it can be, given the cockpit confines, and after all the engineering and fabrication it took to move it and also shaping the wooden top around it, that is how it will remain.

Having studied an awful lot of XKSS interiors, (before I started on mine) I noticed that the handbrakes in all of them varied in position quite a lot, and mine does not look out of place, and will be okay when its all finished.

Watch this space!

Great - I always thought the lever was too far forward in the originals and it's fairly easy to extend yours with a bit of threaded bar (keeping the original cable) - I just pop in and catch up every so often to check you're keeping the excellent standards up

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LOL - I meant underneath you nutter

Is it out of a signal box?