Deni's Miglia Build

[deni]

Hi all,

More progress, so here are some photos. When I had a trial fitted the seats, I have noticed that I have to raise them quite a bit to be able to see above the screen. I decided to do an experiment and I have bought two 2nd hand adjustable seat bases with the sliders, which can also be height adjusted. They can also be electrically adjusted apparently, but I am not bothered with that to be honest. I just want to make sure that I can pass the M.O.T and to be able to see above the screen.

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I have removed two back mounting plates, as they were pointing in (for my purpose) wrong direction and would not allow the seat to fit in the floor pan.


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...no way back now...


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I have narrowed the seat for 6 cm and just tacked them for now.

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They fit very nicely now. There are plenty of possibilities to use my MGB back part of the seat and attach it to this base. I will use the original foam and the vinyl from the MGB seat to cover this new seat base.

I could not trial fit the body this weekend to further check the clearance on top, but I can now move the seats more towards the centre, and if I have to cut into the body to make it all fit, then so be it...


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I will post further update on seats when I trial fit the body.

[Mister Towed]

Great that you can use your MGB seats, they are very comfortable.

Leave yourself plenty of space around the rear spring as it's a bugger of a job to remove it if you need to (make sure you loctite the studs into the diff and use new locknuts as there's a tendency for the studs to come loose if you don't).

I found the space behind the seats very useful for 'hand luggage', a towel to wipe your face when it rains, a bottle of water etc. A sealed in, sloping bulkhead might look cool but the space is too useful to lose imho.

Keep up the good work!

[deni]

Thank you Mr.Towed. Yes, I am really chuffed I can use these comfy and, in my opinion, good looking seats.

The panel on top of the swing spring will be removable, if I decide to make the box so deep. I will make sure I put some loctite on the studs, thanks for the tip.

The angle where the back bulkhead will be looks greater on the photo than it really is, so even with the slope I will still have some space behind the seats.

I will try to make it like this, just to see how it fits/looks, and if it does not work out I'll trim it back.

[deni]

Hi all,

Finally I can continue with the build… I have made more modifications on the frame, so I think the front side is done now. I will only add another L shaped brace in the middle of the top bulkhead rail to connect it to the bottom rail (marked with masking tape).

It's all just positioned on the frame at the moment and I just need to finish welding it to the frame. I did not have time to do it this weekend, after measuring and fabricating the parts - I have to do it slowly and generate as little heat as possible, as I have filled the frame with the wax to protect it from the rust at the very beginning of the build...


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[deni]

I am happy with the frame modifications at the front, so I can continue with placing fibreglass bulkhead parts. After all the welding is done I will glass/bond it all together to make a strong structure and clad it all with aluminium sheet to finish it off. Photos show mocked up bulkhead.


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There is a lot of space behind the bulkhead to make a decent size storage box too…


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[deni]

I am planning to use original engine side panels to mount the radiator. I've temporarily placed old radiator to the panels using cable ties to check how it all fits. The top of the panels will stick out, so I have marked the area that could be trimmed to fit under the bonnet.


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I hope that the radiator is positioned high enough, using mounting points (holes for the bolts) below the top ones that will be removed (I think these are original mounting points). It will sit a bit higher when it's connected to the top hose, but it seems that the fan sticks out a bit, just above the top of the radiator. Hope that this is ok…any advice is welcome.

[Mister Towed]

Hi Deni, that clutch hose looks very much like one from an MG Midget -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MG-Midget...MAAOxymxFRnXEI

You can either just use a new Midget one or replace the whole thing, connectors and all, with a copper/kunifer one for a Spitfire/Herald, and both solutions are likely to be more reliable than trying to adapt a brake hose.

[deni]

Paul L - Yes bud I am still chipping away , thanks for your comment. I am not always able to work on the car, but I will finish it!

Mister Towed - Thank you very much for your advice. I was looking to buy a Spit/Herald copper pipe set, but I did not find any containing a flexi hose (which I believe have to be implemented due to gearbox vibrations), so I thought I can use a brake flexi hose in between the copper pipes.

[Dale j]

Hi Deni if you need a flexi hose lookup pirtek uk they will tell you the local depot to you they will make you one up just take fitting sizes up or the old fitting and give the length of the hose keep up the good work

[deni]

Dale J - Thanks for the info, I will check it out. I hope you have made more progress with your car - your engine bay panelling looks very impressive.

Cheers, Deni

[deni]

Hi all,

I have bought a pair of front GAZ ride/height adjustable shock absorbers and I am seeking a bit of advice/opinion on the springs rating and their unfitted length most suitable for me to buy.

I know that Mister Towed opted for 180lb and 11 inch unfitted length springs for his Spider, with 6 cylinder engine.

I also know that Dave Cymry at the end opted for 200lb, 9 inch unfitted length springs for his Miglia, also with 6 cylinder engine.

From Dave's pictures it seems that the ride height was easy to adjust, but I would like to check if I have understood the adjustment description. I was reading that it started with the shock height adjuster 2 inches from the lowest setting and by raising the shock adjuster further up (and compressing the spring more?) the front end was raised - is that correct please?

My car is fitted with 4 cylinder Spitfire 1500 engine, so it's a bit lighter and I have to lower the front end of the car probably 2-3 inches.

I have a feeling that 180lb rating would be ok for my car, but I am not sure about the most suitable unfitted length to be able to lower the car sufficiently.

I apologise if I sound a bit confused, but I am a little… ….any advice is helpful and welcome.

Thank you.

Cheers, Deni.

[Mister Towed]

Hi Deni.

You're right about height adjustment on the GAZ shocks - wind the adjustable spring-seat down the shock to lower the ride height and wind it up the shock to raise it.

As for spring rate, that really depends on how you want the car to behave and where you're going to drive it. 330lb. springs work great on a race circuit, but would throw you into the nearest ditch on the fen roads of East Anglia where I drive. As your car is likely to be 2-300kg's lighter than the donor, standard 180lb springs should give you a firm but still compliant ride.

The free length isn't too critical as you have about 5" of adjustment on the Gaz shocks, with a light car I'd say the shorter the better. Just don't go so short that the spring is free to move up and down between the top and bottom seats at full extension. They don't need to be under much compression, they just shouldn't be able to move. I'd measure the distance between the inner faces of the top and bottom spring seats at full extension and add 1" as a minimum spring length (I hope that makes sense).

One final thing worth mentioning, you might find that the inside diameter of the spring is narrower than the raised portion of the lower spring seat that it's supposed to slide over to locate it laterally.

I had to grind about a mm all round from the spring seat to get the (standard Spitfire) springs to fit and I don't think I'm the only one who's had that issue with them.

Ultimately, suspension and wheel alignment/geometry on these cars is very much down to owner preference and trial and error testing.

Good luck!

[deni]

Thank you so much for your advice Mr.T. You're spot in regard to my uncertainty about compressing the spring too much if it is too long, so your clarification is much appreciated.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the lower spring seat too!

I know that achieving a good suspension set up (in our case) is not an exact science, but your advice helps a lot, so ta mucho.

[deni]

Hi peeps,

Finally had some time and opportunity to work on the car....

I have experimented with modification of the seats in order to get the height of the back rest right. The base of the seats is a bit wide, so if I raise the seats the backrest sticks out too much. However, by raising the seats I am gaining more space to move the seats left and right and I can position them more towards the centre of the hump. This is just a mock up before I decide to cut the original frame.

This is a work in progress and I will continue experimenting with this as I really want to end up using these seats.


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This is approximately what I'm aiming to achieve.


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I've used a Ford Focus backrest and chopped it to see how it could look when it's done.

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However, to not lose a lot of time with this at this stage, I bought a pair of Spitfire MK4 seats which I will use in the meantime. They have a much narrower base and are easy to position. I will clean and recondition the leather, so they will look nice when it's done.


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[deni]

I have also fabricated a two-piece centre section to further improve the frame. I will probably weld the back to the frame and leave the front piece removable for easier access to the gearbox if necessary.

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[deni]

Having the seats at the right height and position helps with positioning the steering wheel. I have mocked up the mounting for it for now and will weld the proper mounting and bracing next time I work on the car.

I also need to make a subframe for the seats, as I need to raise them for 7 cm.


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[1iTim]

Nice work and good progress. I remember trying to get the steering position 'just right' - and in the end gave up and it is where it is!

Good luck!

T

[Mister Towed]

I'd stick with the narrow seats or similar and mount them as low as possible rather than going for the bigger bases.

The reason is you'll end up with your head and upper body sticking up into the air flow above the wind deflector if you have the wide ones high enough to clear the chassis rails. That's not only bad for the aerodynamics, but it's also very uncomfortable and you'll look like Noddy tootling through Toytown.

Ideally, when seated you need your shoulders to be level with or no more than a couple of inches above the cockpit edge.

Ultimately it's your choice and it's nice to see your build progressing.

[deni]

1iTim- Thank you for letting me know so I don't get too frustrated about it I am looking forward to seeing how you are going to bond the body to the frame, so good luck with it. I also enjoy your YouTube videos, nice to see more Miglias being made!

[deni]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

I'd stick with the narrow seats or similar and mount them as low as possible rather than going for the bigger bases.

The reason is you'll end up with your head and upper body sticking up into the air flow above the wind deflector if you have the wide ones high enough to clear the chassis rails. That's not only bad for the aerodynamics, but it's also very uncomfortable and you'll look like Noddy tootling through Toytown.

Ideally, when seated you need your shoulders to be level with or no more than a couple of inches above the cockpit edge.

Ultimately it's your choice and it's nice to see your build progressing.

Hahahaha, thanks for your advice Mr T. I will certainly try to avoid looking like Noddy! I am not very tall though, and I will make sure my shoulders do not stick out above the cockpit too much. I just want to make sure I can see above the screen and make the MOT guys happy (possibly with the help of a cushion )

Cheers, D.