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In my opinion if we do set up a club then it needs to have the same principles / approach as the builds themselves.
i.e. quite flexible and one where we simply all get stuck in to address issues rather than relying on someone to sort them our for us
I know of clubs where you _have_ to attend so many meetings per year, or _have_ to do x/y/z etc... and that's just not for me, hence me building a Sammio Spyder in the first place.
One possible solution may be that to start off with with we simply tag along to shows with Gary and the crew if they attend, or if they don't then we just keep it flexible depending on the venue/weather
Once you get into 'club gazebo', 'committees', etc then things get complicated and i think that atm we're quite a way from that stage.
How about we start off with a simple "forthcoming events" thread and then play it off the cuff from there and see how things go?
Dave
Dave , Trevor ,
Its the only way ......still blushing and reeling from just how enthusiastic everyone is about my little baby...A personal project that went out of control ....bit like Frankensteins Monster !!
If a 'club' is going to work , it has to be casual ....I have been involved with a few clubs over the years and the 'politics' always kill them. Treasurers daren't buy anything for their own cars for fear of being accused of embezzlement , couples socializing together involving drink , parties etc causes a few 'incestious issues' back biting , jealousy , bitching etc etc....... all mans weaknesses raise their heads ...not every club , I'm sure , but I have seen it all over the years !
I was affiliated to a club years ago called the 'LOW FLYERS' a Hot Rod club that was formed as a result of like minded people turning up at the same shows and having a common interest - in that case 1940's / 50's Hot Rods and Customs...we kept it very casual , only really caught up at Shows and the occasional Xmas bash etc....it worked. I am still friends with pretty much the whole club to this day ( this was mid-late 80's ) and although we don't see each other for months , even years at a time , catching up is great because no one fell out !!
As Dave said , arrange to bump heads at a show - Exeter would be a great one to do - and see how it goes !!
Im in I will try to make the Exeter show but Im sure the car will still be being built.
I hope we reserve a club area for Stoneleigh 2012.
Garry will have a lot more to show than the solo red spyder that was outside the entrance this years show.
Hi all, I'll be at Exeter in October ( I'm only 15 mins away) got to it's the where I put my deposite down in 2010. Count me in for Stoneliegh 2012. A club needs to be like Gary "says" like the cars casual following the ethose (worse spelling than some ebay adds). It's also finding someone to run/organise/do whatever any got a bit of time? And it seems we is a growing band. Pat
Hi all
Amazing how a few lines can prompt such a big response, I love forums! .... I have to say, i agree on all fronts; casual, occasional, social and no big organisational admin. Ive been a member of various over the years (makes me sound ancient) such as Porsche, AROC, BRDC, BRSCC, etc and by far the best have been the casual arrangements to get together at a show or when in a particular location.. eg couple of the guys on DDK a few years ago met up on a whim and we ended up going to Spa the following year.
Gary; while you have it, my car needs a roof if Im to get to the South West / West where everone else seems to be OK, maybe not, ill settle for driving it and getting a bit wet
You can count me in for Stoneleigh 2012, Ive actually never been which is wierd!
Hello all, I have just purchased a Sammio Spyder body from Gary. I live in the USA. I think that I will be the first one to have one here!
I was working on a project with a chassis engineer friend of mine. We are building a space frame into which the suspension cradles and drivetrain from the Mazda Miata will bolt into. I was going to make my own body but I came across the Sammio. I think the design is brilliant and that Gary has done a fantastic job in creating it.
There are over 1,000,000 Miatas in the US. I picked one that drives great for free. I have purchased another for $1250. So, they are pretty cheap too. With a great engine, 5 speed, disc brakes, and true double wishbone suspension they are a great sports car. My goal for the finished car is to weigh under 1400lbs.
The Miata is 66 inches wide. I am pretty tall. So I am building my frame with a 95 inch wheelbase. Gary is widening and lengthening the body for me. I have done some photoshop pictures with the changes and think that it looks fantastic.
Gary has been fantastic to work with. I am looking forward to getting my body and getting started. I wish that I could make Stoneliegh 2012. I love kit cars and have alway wanted to attend. Maybe someday.
I just wanted you builders to know that the Sammio Spyder is going international. Have fun building!
I agree that the miata / mx5 is a great donor and suits the Sammio
I am interested to follow your build - please start a new thread and log your progress.
How far have you got designing / building your chassis? What wheels are you planning on using?
My Mx5 based car has "bmw mini" Steels to give the period look i wanted but I have seen wire wheels to fit in Japan.
An American builder, wow!
That'll make the drive to the West Country (West of England) where the majority of us seem to be based, "a little bit of a trek"
Good luck with your project and i look forward to seeing how it progresses.
The process of working with John and bouncing ideas has been great ...what John hasn't mentioned is that he has a very credible Kit car background and has been instrumental in producing some pretty impressive stuff himself ...
This is exciting for me - we have sold a few in Europe but dipping our toe into America with John on board opens up new opportunities for us both and the growth of 'my baby'
The MX5 has always been on my list of options - its a natural donor ....SVA and non-classic status are its only negatives but people looking for a 'modern' approach will love it ....
I am confident John will create an excellent alternative for the Spyder bodies......
BTW : Just bought a '95 MX5 for £310 locally .........initially to use for measurements etc but could be my first donor !
Thanks for answering question on the Scimi thread. I just tried to buy a Herald but was beaten to it by a couple from Somerset... I think there are going to be a lot of Smmio's down your way? I will carry on looking, not many in Kent always seem to be up north?
Gary H.
Thanks Captain, I'll be back at work tomorrow, difficult to get time to look. I might try Quiller Triumph in Plumstead, I can tell them what i need and they will deliver. Still got to finish work on house before i am allowed to start...
Gary h.hone:
I found ebay the best place to find a triumph for this i bought mine in february as a rolling chassis for £72 bargain now fitted with a high compression rover v8 to give it performance like some of the cars of the 50's.
has anyone else fitted a v8 to their sammio?
I'm new to this forum business so still guessing how it all works :S
another thing is how much are people lowering the front and rear of their cars to get the body sitting nicely?
Did you get a V5 with that rolling chassis. Will that engine fit under the bonnet and will the running gear cope with it? Surely the weight of it will bring the front down?eace:
at the moment looks like needs a bulge in the bonnet but its not huge the engine is snug it has to be said
and rover v8's are only light engines anyway so they dont way an awful lot i have uprated front shocks springs performance brakes etc
i will upload some pics probably next week so you can see.
we have had idea to create a bonnet with a bulge in much similar to the photo i think ive attatched. its a lotus 15 the car in the picture is the car we used to own so we plan on copying that really
it has an lt77 gearbox and an uprated prop the drive shafts on rear should cope with up to about 215hp but we are thinking of replacing them for uprated also just to be sure as it seems unlikely a car like the vitesses will stand the sheer power from the v8 although they were rather fast themselves.
Don't think it would be an option, as you will have to cut holes in rear for the outriggers, then cover them up again afterwards, and a bit of filler is needed around the bonnet gap area, so all your lovely gelcoat would have white filler over it!
Front of the class trevor, obvious really. What else is there to do before spraying? Who's the lucky person who gets to clean up that bonding paste behind the grill... does it sand down easily?
Once the bonding paste has set, it feels as hard as concrete, and I'm assuming it will be a total b*****d to sand! There is a small amount I need to get rid of round the metal hoop, and will probably resort to carefully using an angle grinder with a grinding disc on it.
However, the white stuff over all the chassis behind the grill area is just fibreglass dust where I cut the holes.
In reality, I don't have a lot (any!) prep work to do, as I'm paying Gary and Mike to prep and spray the car. (Happy days!)
The bonding paste can be sanded with 40 or 80 grit paper in a hand sander but it takes for ever! I ended up using a 60 grit flap-disc in a grinder to flat it down as much as possible before switching to the hand sander, and it eats through it BUT you have to have a careful touch otherwise you end up gouging holes!
Gary or anyone, can you tell me if the Triumph speedo can be used in all models?
Not sure if this is what you're asking, but I've bought a 'big' 5 1/2" black faced 90mph herald speedo with integral fuel gauge to replace the 4" Vitesse 120mph speedo from my donor (purely for aesthetic reasons).
The Vitesse speedo cable and odometer reset cable both screw straight in while it's calibrated for 155/13 tyres, the same as the Vitesse had as standard.
The only area of concern I have is wiring the fuel gauge as it has three terminals instead of the two on Vitesse gauge. Any help anyone can post about that would be greatly appreciated.
OK, maybe not, ill settle for driving it and getting a bit wet 
hone: 
Will you fill in the wheel arches as well? 
What else is there to do before spraying? Who's the lucky person who gets to clean up that bonding paste behind the grill... does it sand down easily?