eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Sept 23, 2021 12:05:23 GMT
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Of course it is just a personal opinion I'll be expressing here so don't feel attacked or anything because I'm not in any way attacking you. You are doing something I could never do and I respect all the time and effort going in! Each to their own and all that. I myself have made design choices on my car that others don't agree with.
That said: I think this back end deserves a custom light cluster! Something more interesting and fitting the car. The three seperate lights look like it was the easiest and cheapest way to put all the required lights on a car. In my humble opionion I've never seen a car where the trio of lights look fantastic... Although they sit nicely in their pocket, I don't think they work as applied. Sorry.
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Duggy
Part of things
Posts: 129 
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Sept 23, 2021 13:31:37 GMT
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I agree re the three individual lights. I can't help but think a pair early Mini van clusters would like nice in those apertures, with a little finessing to rake the angle a little to match their profile:  |
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Sept 23, 2021 15:30:49 GMT
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Looks brilliant John  I've started using your thread as a good gauge of progress on my project. If I can't put a car back together before you can build an entire new one from scratch I'm not working fast enough  Ha, ha, I doubt you'll have a problem getting over the line before I do but I am going as fast as I can despite the apparent snail's pace progress. Probably a bit ambitious but I'm hoping the car will be usable for a road trip to Brittany in September next year. |
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Sept 23, 2021 15:49:09 GMT
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Thank you for your opinions on the rear lamp arrangement and I'm sure you are right that these may not be the most attractive feature of the car. I'm really glad you spoke up because I value all onions which do pull me up and question the reasons for what I've done. However, I chose this route because the rear end is built to give a strong nod to the DB5 which has an identical cluster and lamp housing. I've used Land Rover lights at a fiver each compared with the £95 for the very similar Aston ones where the only apparent difference apart from the price is a chrome bezel. Biturbo questions whether he will have his car together before mine is finished but I don't think he has any worries on that score particularly after my apparent lack of progress today. I say apparent because although there isn't much to see it's been a good day tuning the panels so that they fit nicely together with the curves flowing from on to the other. The work included hammer and dolly and trimming to a point where with one final trim they are ready for welding. The left-hand side is now done. So at the risk of boring everyone here are the fruits of today's endeavour.    |
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Sept 23, 2021 19:03:06 GMT
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I like it, but then I like this lagonda too  |
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Sept 24, 2021 7:37:37 GMT
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I think the lights work, as you say a nod to the DB, and also I think they have, when incorporated into the overall design, a distinctly 60's vibe which fits really well. Cracking work! |
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1968 Mini MkII, 1968 VW T1, 1967 VW T1, 1974 VW T1, 1974 VW T1 1303, 1975 Mini 1000 auto, 1979 Chevette, 1981 Cortina, 1978 Mini 1000 1981 Mini City, 1981 Mini van, 1974 Mini Clubman, 1982 Metro City, 1987 Escort, 1989 Lancia Y10, 1989 Cavalier, 1990 Sierra, 1990 Renault 19, 1993 Nova, 1990 Citroen BX, 1994 Ford Scorpio, 1990 Renault Clio, 2004 Citroen C3, 2006 Citroen C2, 2004 Citroen C4, 2013 Citroen DS5. 2017 DS3 130 Plenty of other scrappers!
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Sept 24, 2021 7:50:27 GMT
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Same lights that i used john , i like em .  |
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Sept 24, 2021 8:05:53 GMT
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Same lights that i used john , i like em . Wow!! What a fantastic piece of work, beautifully crafted; absolutely superb. I love the feature lines on rear cowling, perfectly executed. And the lamp housings work so well. I'd be over the moon if I had the skill to produce a work of art like that. I love it. |
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Sept 24, 2021 11:51:09 GMT
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If you want a further nod to the DB4/5, then they used the number plate light from the Karmann Ghia, which is reasonably easy to find.
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Sept 24, 2021 12:06:25 GMT
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If you want a further nod to the DB4/5, then they used the number plate light from the Karmann Ghia, which is reasonably easy to find. Good to hear from you horrido. Thank you. I've actually departed from the DB5 with the number plate lamp and gone for LED bolt lamps that double as number plate fixings. They are black and will be quite unobtrusive with the black and white plates that the car will qualify for. And made here in the UK. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164795254316I have a very neat round reversing camera that will fit into a 17mm diameter right in the centre above the number plate just where a conventional number plate lamp would be. |
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Sept 27, 2021 9:25:50 GMT
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Biturbo questions whether he will have his car together before mine is finished but I don't think he has any worries on that score particularly after my apparent lack of progress today. I say apparent because although there isn't much to see it's been a good day tuning the panels so that they fit nicely together with the curves flowing from on to the other. The work included hammer and dolly and trimming to a point where with one final trim they are ready for welding. The left-hand side is now done. So at the risk of boring everyone here are the fruits of today's endeavour. It's funny how you don't see progress so much when you're up close to it. The change day-to-day is gradual enough that unless it's something very big and visual you tend to underestimate it! Coming along very nicely |
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Sept 27, 2021 9:58:25 GMT
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It's the panelling that shouts progress and the bigger the panel the louder the shout. I'm currently working on the right hand rear quarter light which is relatively small but the final piece needed to complete the whole rear end bodywork which when welded together will be a huge landmark.
You may remember that I'm going the whole hog on the air conditioning system and have just placed an order with Summit Racing for a Vintage Air Gen11 Mini kit and a separate order with Dakota Digital for the fully integrated automatic climate control module. I've also ordered a plastic mock up which will enable all the mounts and planning to be carried out without risk of damage to the evaporator unit. The rest of the system such as the drier, trinary switch, unions and pipe I can get in the UK from CBS.
Currently we are working on the exhaust and as soon as that is complete the body can go on and that will then allow the dashboard and console to be designed and fabricated.
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Sept 27, 2021 19:47:57 GMT
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Just to ad to the personal opinions about style choices...
I love the tail lights on this car.
They instantly identify the car as being British, and from a certain era.
To me it suits the character of the rest of the design.
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Sept 28, 2021 8:17:51 GMT
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Just to ad to the personal opinions about style choices... I love the tail lights on this car. They instantly identify the car as being British, and from a certain era. To me it suits the character of the rest of the design. Thank you. But doesn't it show how subjective shape and style is, not forgetting colour, and how we all have different tastes and aspirations. The same can be said about art which I suppose in a way this is, although the definition of what is art is a philosophic question that many learned academics have pondered over for years. I can't paint or draw but for some unaccountable reason I am able to turn my ideas directly into metal and produce a good facsimile of the picture in my mind. The style is grounded in the 60s with the rear being strongly influenced by the DB5. The front although not DB5 will flow from the rear and fit into that era nicely. Where I might have some difficulty in staying in period is with the dashboard and blending in the screen of the head unit and climate control panel. These will be on show and not covered when not in use. Plenty to think about. Whenever I make anything, I try to consider accessibility which is something mainstream manufacturers seem to overlook. Without exception, on every car I have ever owned trying to service any component behind the dashboard has been an absolute nightmare and I'm going to make sure that it won't happen on my watch. I'm thinking particularly of getting to the wiper wheel boxes on the GT6 or attaching the demist ducting on the driver's side. One would have thought that everything would have been made to be easy and straightforward to bring down the build time but the reverse seems to be the case. The concept that I have at the moment is for the top of the dash sometimes referred to as the crash pad to be separate from the lower part containing the instruments. If I could arrange for at least part of the dashboard to be fixed to runners so that when released, it will slide out like a kitchen drawer giving access to whatever is behind and this would be a godsend. Didn't Jaguar do something similar for access to the fuses or have I made that up? I have actually made a start on the dash and cut out the very front part of the Fiesta crash pad which has the correct profile and fixing holes to mount it to the scuttle that I am using. I can then bond the part I make directly to it. I can also use the demist plenum which again screws directly to it. The plenum has a rectangular inlet but it shouldn't be too difficult to make and adapter for round ducting. Just thoughts at the moment and it will be interesting to see how everything works out in reality. |
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Sept 28, 2021 9:31:36 GMT
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i love the lights, fits perfectly with the Charlie Croker style
Yes I used a machine gun
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Sept 28, 2021 9:46:02 GMT
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i love the lights, fits perfectly with the Charlie Croker style Yes I used a machine gun Love it. |
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Sept 28, 2021 11:59:08 GMT
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Moving along John. I'm not a big fan of that sort of tail light, but I totally get your concept and it works. I'd possibly have played with the idea of a Humber Sceptre lamp (or similar) though, but it would have meant a different profile tail section - which may not have suited the rest of the body. It's fine in isolation, but the bigger picture always needs to be kept in mind.  |
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Sept 28, 2021 13:39:17 GMT
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I've just come across these pictures of a dash from a Shelby Mustang restomod and I think it works well.   |
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Sept 28, 2021 14:01:23 GMT
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Moving along John. I'm not a big fan of that sort of tail light, but I totally get your concept and it works. I'd possibly have played with the idea of a Humber Sceptre lamp (or similar) though, but it would have meant a different profile tail section - which may not have suited the rest of the body. It's fine in isolation, but the bigger picture always needs to be kept in mind. Yes these lamps would have worked well but how future proof are they? There are so many things to consider when building a one off, not the least being continuity of available replacement parts. This was one of the main reasons for deciding on the Focus engine and the screens from a Fiesta as well as the Land Rover lamps. Price also plays a part and bits from classic cars, depending on the marque can be expensive as NOS dries up. For the most part, I'm happy with the decisions that have brought me to this point except for starting with a Reliant Kitten which in retrospect was a fundamental mistake. Why? Because of its narrow track, drum brakes, weak axle and rear leaf springs. Staying with Reliant, the Scimitar or even the SS1 might have been a better choice but we are where we are and there's no way back. I'm 90% happy with the rolling chassis, my only concern being that to stay with the DVLA 8 points in order to widen the track I've widened the wheels which is going to alter the suspension geometry. Whether this will be apparent remains to be seen. |
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Sept 28, 2021 14:28:22 GMT
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Where I might have some difficulty in staying in period is with the dashboard and blending in the screen of the head unit and climate control panel. These will be on show and not covered when not in use. Plenty to think about. It's these modern touches that I find difficult with my projects. The modern-ish boost gauge, oil temp and voltmeter on my X1/9 irk me whenever I get in, and I've never got on with the idea of big touchscreens. One of the reasons I like old cars is they're an escape from all the modern-looking stuff in life! But I get that it's 100% a personal taste thing, and my taste is on the extreme end of that. To the point that I'd rather spend £300 on an electric-to-cable speedo adapter on the big Triumph than run a more modern speedo! Whenever I make anything, I try to consider accessibility which is something mainstream manufacturers seem to overlook. Absolutely with you on that John. As far as I'm concerned, a component you have to remove something else to access is a poorly packaged component. A lot of car design forces poor packaging of components, but that doesn't change the fact that they're poorly packaged. I tend to spend quite a lot of time cutting extra access panels and repositioning things so you can get to stuff easier. Love the idea of the pull-out dashboard. Looking forward to the implementation! |
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