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Scottie.........the interior looks fantastic.
Now something i am wondering about,as the car has a fixed front and no flipfront how on earth do you get the engine out in case of a major problem?
I bought one for the bonnet, and was so impressed with the quality, I got a second one for the boot. So cheap, yet the same thing from Demon Tweaks is over £30. Four times the price.
The actual lock part came from a national chain store, called
B and M, but on checking today, they no longer do them.
However, this looks about the same, but I can't vouch for the qualty:
Triumph engines are so reliable I will never ever have a problem Rene!
Seriously though, Chris gave me the option of a flip front, but I chose what I have now instead.
I still am not sure if I made the right choice, but as the freshly deflowered virgin once said "its too late now"
Having said that, the bonnet opening is large enough easily for the engine to be removed. And access is fairly good above and below.
Oddly enough, Mick O'Malley, who is building the D Type version A352, opted for a non-flip front as well, then changed his mind,
and has converted to flip!
At the stage I'm at now though, I'll live with it.
There must be room enough to remove the engine with the bonnet removed.
Not that i doubt the quality of a Triumph engine but you never know..........
As my dreams about a new build are now switching between a Miglia/Sammio or A325 i let my thoughts go over future snags and problems and how to solve them.
For both builds you need a Spitfire and use the bulkhead,floor and other sheetmetal parts.....i am not so keen using these parts as they are build and bonded into the GRP bodyshell,as we all know GRP does'nt rust and Triumph sheetmetal will rust,as a matter of fact i'll think Triumph invented rust as i see some potential doner cars.
I like the idea of building my own removable stainless or alloy frame and fix the body only to this frame so it would be possible to remove.
The front does'nt have to flip but will be seperated from the body bolted to the frame,for maintenance the bonnet will be used and in case of major repares the whole front can be unbolted and removed.
If i build a Miglia or A325 this way i will have less rust issiues and virtually a car that last for ages.
There will be a lot of thinking and problem solving to do about this,i even have to wear a chrashhelmet as i have to do so much headscratching i will end up with a hole in my skull............
René
Yes Rene, a stainless or alloy frame would be ideal for you.
In my case I was very lucky to find a donor Spitfire which not only was 44 years old, but was virtually totally rust-free.
A very rare animal indeed.
I am confident that I will never have any rust issues in the future, as I have further treated the remaining metal parts on my car, so they will remain in good condition. And of course the fibre glass and alluminium should last a fair while too.
You could always hot-dip galvanise it, after all mods are done of course... Then it would last at least 30 years with no maintenance.
Trouble with aluminium is age hardening and work induced cracks. Stainless would be hard to work, heavy and expensive! Building cars to last was never easy.
What's really needed is good steel. I remember Austin Seven main chassis rails almost never rusted, the rest of the car fell apart around the central chassis. That steel seemed to last forever, without any signs of rot.
My original 1949 Land Rover chassis was perfect with no signs of rust in about 1974 or so? I believe there is a 'better' perhaps purer steel, they just don't use it any more. Wrought Iron didn't tend to rust heavily either.
You are right Ed, I agree with what you are saying.
At one stage several years ago I had an Alpha Romeo, and at that point the steel they used was abysmal rubbish, and the car almost rusted away before I got it home!
In my earlier post to Rene, I forgot to mention that my donor Spitfire also came with a freshly installed re-conditioned engine, which I have re-serviced, and should be good for a long while.
So I was double-whammy lucky donor-wise.
Morning to you Geoff, thanks for the positive words!
Yes of course I am pleased with the interior, lots of extra work, but I think worth it.
Cannot imagine how Steve McQueen opted for such a bland car interior himself, the coolest bloke in the world maybe, but taste was in short supply!
Oddly enough, Mick O'Malley, who is building the D Type version A352, opted for a non-flip front as well, then changed his mind,
and has converted to flip!
Hi Scottie
Great interior!
I didn't actually 'opt' for anything, as I wasn't offered an option!
I thought about a removable rather than flip conversion, but rejected it as I'm a stickler for fluid checks and wanted them easily performed. The front only lifts about 30° but this is sufficient as I have a header tank by the fuse box. I'll post a piccy or two once my latest film has been D'd & P'd.
Thanks for that Mick.
With only a 30 degree lift, is an engine out action possible, or would you just take the front right off?
Just take the whole front off. It's held at its front end by four M6 bolts which connect it to the hinges. The only pain would be the wiring as I bought the fancy twist together connectors shown on the Sammio side but cannot see how wires can possibly be either soldered or crimped to them, so I'm stuck with terminal blocks for the moment.
You could always hot-dip galvanise it, after all mods are done of course... Then it would last at least 30 years with no maintenance.
Trouble with aluminium is age hardening and work induced cracks. Stainless would be hard to work, heavy and expensive! Building cars to last was never easy.
What's really needed is good steel. I remember Austin Seven main chassis rails almost never rusted, the rest of the car fell apart around the central chassis. That steel seemed to last forever, without any signs of rot.
My original 1949 Land Rover chassis was perfect with no signs of rust in about 1974 or so? I believe there is a 'better' perhaps purer steel, they just don't use it any more. Wrought Iron didn't tend to rust heavily either.
My 1925 Citroen steelwork is still almost perfect. Unlike my Navara (a lot younger!) I can undo virtually any nut with an open ended spanner without any chance of rounding the nut.
Looking good Scottie. What will you do if someone offers to buy it for a substantial sum once it's finished?
The day I drove my Spyder home from the MOT I was made a serious off of a straight swap for a brand-new Astra (about £18,000 worth), but kindly declined the offer. Could you?
Thanks for all the good word fellahs! I do appreciate it.
Mr Towed, ref your inquiry, several people have asked me exactly the same question, and I have given a lot of thought to it, and I believe I would follow your example.
You have something very unique, ( we are talking cars here!)
and at my builds end, so will I.
If we were to give in and swap/sell, I think we would forever regret it.
In my earlier post of the finished panel, I forgot to add that regardless of the 30+ rivets in it, it is held on to the body with just two self tappers, top and lower side, so it only takes 15 seconds to remove.
