Scottie's Tribute A352 build

23 Aug 2014, 3:48pm General Update

Well redratbike, if an XKSS is good enough for the coolest guy on earth, its gotta be good enough for me!!!

23 Aug 2014, 8:16pm General Update

All XKSS's have two wipers, including Steve McQueens as far as I'm aware.

23 Aug 2014, 8:26pm General Update

Saturday later

Paul, thanks for the input, I'll look out for that program.

Redratbike, thanks for the pics, it does help to inspire me.

IanA, go to specsavers!

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23 Aug 2014, 9:17pm General Update

Ha Ha!

Yes you are right, he's got one wiper missing in those two pics.

BUT, if I was M'Lud, I'd send you down for trying it on!

There is no way you can get a better sweep with half the intended wiper system not functioning.

Guilty as charged, take him down cuntstable! :-)

26 Aug 2014, 2:31pm Chassis and Body

Tuesday morning

I have only ever had the opportunity to actually examine one XKSS closely.
I did this last year, as I had ordered my body shell, and was looking for hints and tips for my build.

I noticed that the car I was looking at did not have any rain channels on the door openings. I asked the owner if it leaked, and he said it did.
He had stuck some rubber strips in the gap, but told me they did not work.
He even said that in heavy rain, the foot-wells filled up with water!

I just did not have the heart to tell him why it leaked. His car was absolutely
mint in every other way.

However, I was determined that my car would not leak, and I would have rain channels around the doors to stop the water ingress.

I have only 6 pictures of XKSS's with the doors open, and unbelievablely,
none of them have rain channels around the doors!

So, its fairly safe to assume that they ALL leak. How strange!

looking at the hinge positions on some of the cars, there would not be enough room between the hinge and the body in the open position, to allow a rain channel to be present.

So I checked my car. as I have come to the point where its time to fit the
rain channels.

There also is not enough room! Damn!!

But there will be room, I will see to that.

My car will be unique in more ways than one, as I most likely will have the only XKSS in the world that does not leak!

Well I measured the drivers hinge, took it off and hacked it about a bit, put it back on, and I now have a space for my rain channels.

Just got to do the passengers one now..........

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26 Aug 2014, 5:06pm Mechanical Overhaul Chassis and Body

Later Tuesday

Well, I went back to work and did the passengers side, and its back on the car all done. This has cleared the decks for some sort of rain channel.

I will most likely do them in alloy, but plastic or rubber piping may be an option yet, they would be easier to make given a flexible medium to work with.

I still find it really strange that as far as I can tell, no XKSS has any door rain channels. If any one out there has pictures or any knowledge to the contrary,
I would be very interested to hear/see it.

What's so unique about your car Scottie?

Well its waterproof!

Perhaps it won't be, but I will have less water in mine than the others for sure.

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28 Aug 2014, 8:23am Engine Chassis and Body Interior & Trim

Thursday

I still could not believe that all XKSS's had no rain channels on the doors and leaked, so after a lot of searching, I finally found a picture which, when blown up, shows quite clearly what the originals must have had.
The picture quality has suffered in the enlarging process, but its all there.

It is basically what I had in mind for my car.

In my search, I also came across the other picture, which shows what happens when you build a beautiful replica at great expense, but choose the wrong windscreen!

Which is why I spent so long engineering mine to look as good as I could get it.

But looking at the second picture is like a nightmare, as it just looks so terribly fugly! Especially compared with a "real" screen.

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28 Aug 2014, 12:00pm General Update

Hi Ox, yes I did see that car for sale, and thought exactly as you had!

Shame that most or the pics of the build are missing, it would have been interesting to have seen.

29 Aug 2014, 8:35am General Update

Thanks Mick, I will take a look at it!

29 Aug 2014, 5:40pm General Update

Thanks Alpha, every little helps as Te*coes says, although its not helping their shares much at present!!

30 Aug 2014, 3:45pm General Update

Well. I did watch the Steve McQueen documentory, and was pleasantly surprised to find out that all the 16 XKSS's have gone up in value, and the 15 "ordinary" ones are now worth 3 million pounds each, and Steve McQueens particular one is valued at, wait for it...

6 million pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Where do they dream up these figures?

So if I get it right, mine may look like 6 MILLION quids worth!

31 Aug 2014, 2:02pm Mechanical Overhaul Chassis and Body Interior & Trim

Sunday

Like most people, I tend to put off crappy jobs, and one of those was finalising the quarter lights. But it had occurred to me that I have to do those, and get them in place on the car BEFORE I can attempt to fit the windows to the doors.

So today I got grip of myself and sorted them out. I had to cut the bits I needed out of stainless sheet, so while I was doing jobs I did'nt like, I cut
out the gear lever and hand brake trim, and finished those off too.

My next job logically, is to bolt the quarter lights to the car and then refit the doors and try to line up my new windows to match the quarter lights in a
neat line.

Mmmmmmmmm.

Pics

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31 Aug 2014, 2:04pm General Update

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31 Aug 2014, 11:06pm General Update

Very nice y cymro!

I did not make it to Donington unfortunately, but I would have drooled over that car!

Thanks for the pics.

1 Sep 2014, 1:40pm General Update

Thanks Ian, I have PM'd you.

2 Sep 2014, 7:52am General Update

Hi jones, thanks for the link, the pics are ones I did not have, and anyway, I cannot get enough pics of a car I deem very pretty!

2 Sep 2014, 2:24pm General Update

Tuesday

Before I can fit the quarter lights to the car, I have to drill the three bolt holes in each one.

This was a job I dreaded, as drilling holes is one of my weak points.

Even with a punched mark, the drill still seems to skitter all over the place wrecking the surface.

It took me so long to actually make the quarter lights, so I did not want to have to do it again.

Also the they have a back, a front and the lexan in the middle, so I had three bits to line up and hold still before drilling the holes.

My answer was to drill a guide hole in a bit of spare steel, and clamp that over the marker-pen dot, that way, I would not have to risk distortion by punching the metal, and the drill bit had less chance of wandering off target.

It all worked well and I had my neat holes with no drama.

I will use 6mm stainless bolts at the bottom, and 5mm at the top, as 6mm look too butch at the top!

Well they are now on the car, and its gone 3 pm, so that little jobbie has taken me most of the day, and now I've had enough, not to mention only just had my lunch!

Here are some pics:

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