Thanks Paul, I just wanted to tell prospective builders to have a go. It's a very easy straight forward build and I feel that I have got to the point where a lot of people would now hand it over to a paint shop for final finishing.
Being a skinflint I will be preparing mine myself but will have the final paint put on by a pro. I will be posting details on the body prep, being sorting out the rear door gap today and am pleased with the result. Pics to follow.
There was a post the other day on my thread by "Minehart" about my petrol filler and it has now disappeared and so has the user.
Any idea what has happened?
Just surprised that the post disappeared, didn't think it could happen. You had mentioned that I had cut the chassis to relieve the route for the fuel filler.
I came across this post
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5192&highlight=changing+details
post 6
It seems to say that you cannot modify the chassis between the axles but anything fore or aft can be cut. I don't know if this is right or does it only apply to cars with a proper chassis?
Even if not I haven't removed anything, I have just folded it out of the way slightly and made good so nothing has been removed.
Does anyone know the exact rules?
Gapping the bonnet and rear door shuts.
The gap around the bonnet is excessive and the rear door shuts are rounded rather than nice and sharp.
I positioned the bonnet making the front and off side nice and tight meaning I would only have to fix 2 sides rather than 4.
I decided to go with 2mm gaps, not because I'm being clever, it's simply the thickness of the alloy sheet offcuts that I have. Simply fit them in the gap and hold them in place with some packing. Then push some GRP paste in the gap pushing it down firmly. On the corners I found the best thing was builders band again, just cover it in electrical tape to stop it fro sticking. Very easy to bend for the corners but too flexible for the straights.
When it has gone off lift the bonnet and you should see this.
The pink being the GRP paste. Remove the bonnet and apply a fillet of GRP paste with your finger underneath the bonnet to give it some more strength. I sanded everything with 80 grit first to give it a key.
I then went around the underneath edge with a mini belt sander to level it all up.
Trial fitted and the gap is great, just ran a long bed sander around the edge to level it all up.
Finally a coat of colour matched flow coat to tidy the underneath up, looks much better.
I will be using it on all of the underside of the bonnet and boot lid. Not as nice as proper paint but takes no time at all to do.
I now just need to get the front of the bonnet level before final filling on the top. The back is fine but the front sits too low, the two front pins are hard up against the GRP so it cannot be lifted any higher. Need to get my thinking cap on to come up with a work around.
Final gaps, just need to fill and contour the top surface.
The rear door gap was done in the same way.
It looks the same all the way round but I'm not that fussy that I'm going to measure it!
Just been for my first test drive, nothing fell of but the grill is touching the fan under hard acceleration so will have to find a way to work around that.
Did get flashed and waved at from a Ferrari! Had too laugh, they are however 10 a penny around here as we have Marenello's at the end of the road.
I think bonding the bonnet is is probably the way to go. I did see a 250 at a show, it had great paint except in the bonnet shuts, small point but my eyes went straight to it. I might paint the bonnet shut area first and then bond the bonnet in. Shame as the rear fittings work well but there is less room at the front to do the same.
Looks like bondage is the way to go, I'll give the wife the good news!
Bugger. Filled it up with petrol today and it took ageeeeees. No leaks but the pipe fills up with petrol so you have to fill it very slowly, it's as it the anti glug pipe isn't working.
On the positive side, it doesn't appear to be leaking and there is no petrol smell.
Been over to my painter and he has pointed out loads of extra bits that will need my attention, quite depressing. Hoping to get it into the oven for 40 minutes this afternoon, probably be even more depressed after that.
Bonnet Gapping.
Have been finishing off the bonnet gapping and levelling. With the pates I made for the back of the bonnet it is possible to get it flush with the main bonnet. At the front one of the bonnet pins is to low so I cannot raise it up. Halfway along each side it sits about 5mm too low. I cut the font bonnet pin off, re drilled another hole and repositioned it. For the side adjustment I cut a 3mm plate for each side, drilled and tapped a 8mm hole so that I could use a bolt to adjust the height.
I drilled two holes in the other end so the GRP paste would grip it and I will go over it with some GRP woven tape.
Seen from the top
Having got the bonnet as flat as possible I filled the edges and flatted it all down.
Pretty pleased with the result. At the moment the way the bonnet is attached there is no adjustment, I just need to open out the two rear bolt holes fractionally and it will give me some wiggle room for final adjustment. I think 2mm all round is about what I will end up with.
Forgot the best bit, my inset bonnet grill, gives some real depth.
Set about 1cm back from the opening, it's commercial stainless draining mesh. £6.99 for a 30cm square inc post, I should get the bonnet and all 4 brake vents out of it.
See you tomorrow
Reflectors, fog light and reversing lights
Have been pondering what to use, I like the rectangular Lucas reflectors that most people use but didn't want extra lights for reversing and fog light. I always think the ones that bolt on underneath look like a cheap 1970's accessory.
So cunning plan needed.
I bought 2 super bright LED bulbs for the reversing lights and an LED tail and brake light for the fog light.
Drilled a 5mm hole central to one side of the reflector, then opened it up with a 10mm and finally 24mm. This allows the LED domes to suck though the reflector but the metal surround won't go through so it acts as a stop. In-between the domes I painted the white surface by just dropping some red paint in with a cocktail stick. I then coloured the white domes with a red felt tip pen, this makes the bulb look red but when illuminated it shows white. One on either reflector for the reversing lights. I had bought a red LED bulb for the fog light but a tail/brake light bulb wired so that both come on proved to be brighter. I sanded the domes flat and then polished them back up on a buff.
I then glued this bulb to the back of the reflector after peeling away the reflector tape. I used a hot glue gun for the bulbs, LED's don't get hot so they should stay put.
From a distance you can't tell they have been modified. Not perfect but I'm happy with the results
The reflectors won't be very good now so I'm thinking of fitting some small mudflats with small reflectors on them. Now of course I'm fitting tacky 1970's accessories!
My painter said the same thing. I'm going to put a couple of slices in and put some GRP tape over the joins
Door window weather strips.
I wanted to try and avoid the alloy strips on the door tops, it alway reminds me of "kit car" and I also want to use the alloy strip under the doors mounted on the sill so it will hide the front and rear wing join. Having both strips fitted would just look too much.
There is quite a gap between the door top and the glass, especially at the front. This turned out to be a bit a pig of a job and I had to build the area up 3 times to get both the right curvature on the top and the right angle at the rear to mount the weather strip too.
Not quite finished but nearly there. Just taped some plastic 90 degree angle to the top of the door and then backfilled with GRP paste.
Does look much more "factory" I think the reason for there being such a large gap at the top of the doors is that they were designed for the coupe with the sliding window arrangement. May a point for the MK2!
The only optional lights from that list are the spot and reversing lights. Reversing a car with no reversing lights at night is horrible, you don't realise how much of a difference they make. Spot lights are optional but do finish off "The Face" of the car.
There are rules (that I can't remember offhand) about the positioning off the rear foglight, however so long as it works I can't see an MOT tester failing it.
Only problem with buying in advance is that you can't return them 9 months later if you have a problem or it doesn't work. I ordered some stainless steel headlight rings, they rusted within a month so I returned them for exchange, would have been a problem if they had been ordered a long time ago. I also tend to loose things!
Most things nowadays are a couple of days delivery maximum. The only things I order in advance are LED bulbs, wiring and connecters from China as they are so much cheaper.
Boot adjustment advice please
Working my way around the back today (can't face doing another door top yet). The boot is proud on the right hand rear edge, too proud I think to sand down. How to I lower it, the hinge is loose so isn't the problem. On the left hand side the boot lid is low at the front corner, I have put a 5mm shim in-between the hinge and boot lid which has raised it up, don't know why because the hinge is again loose.
At the bottom trailing edge in the centre it is about 8mm proud, again to much to sand off and I don't want to put that much filler on the lower panel where the boot lock is located to build it up.
I thought maybe a slice in the two outer ribs to sharpen the curvature to bring the rear in but the curvature around the edges is pretty good.
Anyone with a cunning plan?
It has internal boot hinges, they drop all the way down if the boot lid is not attached so they are not pushing the lid up in any way.
I will shim the front hinge as you suggest.
I had fitted a new boot seal and thought that may be the problem but it sits in exactly yje same way with it removed.
At the moment I think the cure may be to cut some slices in the ribs that run along it and introduce some more cure, that way it should bring the top down and tuck the bottom edge in some, which is what it needs.
Trouble is most of the builds have been hardtops, common as muck!
The boot is tight against the body at the top so it cannot be moved further back. The bottom edge however sticks out too far so needs to be brought back, I think it is more a question of curvature that the hinges but will remove the hinges tomorrow and see how it fits.
Mine is the much more desirable convertible so it doesn't have a window frame!
However the same principle should work. I cut a strip of garden rubbish bin loader, about 3" wide, I also have a length of plastic "L" shape, about 1cm on each edge.Place the L against the window and then push the thin flexible plastic under it pushing firmly against the window, using duct tape stick the plastic down and the the L to the plastic. I cut a small section out to allow for the front window upright. When all stuck together take the skin off and I placed it upside down on a table leant against a wall (this is all precision work). Now the the plastic is on the table with the weight of the door skin pressing down it forms the correct curve. I placed a piece of timber against the L to stop the door sliding. Then back fill with GRP paste, let it dry and the plastic will peel away, GRP does not stick to it.
If you are not using a door rubber on the sliding window I would pack the L out slightly from the edge of the plastic sheet, that way with a little sanding you should be able to get the gap closed completely. Then its just a matter of sanding down.
When I do the other door I will post some more detailed photos.
The plastic bin loader is very useful. I took a mould of something and used the plastic to make the upright shuts so the mould could be split. I cut it to roughly the contour then placed it upright then ran a felt tip along the panel horizontally to marl the cantor on the shape. Cut it out and it was a very close fit. Held it in place with duct tape and some wooden blocks. When the moulded section had dried I just removed the tape and plastic, put mould release on the newly formed flanged and glassed the next section directly to it. Worked a treat.
Link to bag loader plastic
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Easy-Fill-Bag-Loader-Polypropylene-Black-Bin-Insert-/282077047958?hash=item41ad1a2c96:g:1RoAAOxywXFSb7-B 
