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Sept 28, 2021 16:47:35 GMT
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Ha ha the push pull dashboard. That would be ideal but maybe difficult to realise depending on the space available but even if it were hinged that would help. I fully take your point about having modern gizmos looking incongruous in a classic car which is why the dashboard shape and what it contains will need a lot of thought to make it work (for me). My target has always been to produce a car with the appearance of a classic but with modern day performance and reliability and packed with equipment that enhance the driving experience. You may laugh that I have shelled out a fair sum for a radio which is something I only ever use when I'm waiting in the car for whatever reason and almost never when driving. But the hands free telephone that it offers might be a good thing and Waze certainly is, for navigation. And the reversing camera will be a useful addition. None of these would be possible without the head unit and screen. Anyway, back to the here and now. A good couple of days spent forming the right hand quarter light panel which is now well on the way to completion. I had the advantage of having done the first one to be able to cut a pattern from that     This last piece was formed using the wheeling machine with the rubber band because it is single curvature. In this case no stretching takes place and the wheeling machine has the same effect as rollers. |
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Benefitting from the experience gained from forming one on the left hand side, the quarter light panel only took two days to make compared with five so it's nice to see an improvement both in time and the quality of the work. By the time the project is done the standard of my metal work might even satisfy my painter......but perhaps not. I'm very close now to welding up the complete rear end with just the final trimming left to do. I shall attempt to do the bulk of the welding with the panels still Cleacoed to the body frame which will ensure that they start and end up in the correct position relative to the body frame and each other. This will be a steep learning curve for me trying to TIG weld in other than optimum positions. It will be interesting to see how it goes. It would have been no easier trying to weld with the panels off the car because of their shape and size. This will be a job for next week. Meanwhile I have heard from Vintage Air and Dakota Digital that the aircon units are on their way and should arrive mid to end of next week. I don't know whether they realise it or not but our American friends are spoilt rotten with all the goodies they have available on their doorstep at amazingly low prices. I'm think specifically of the automatic climate control kit that is on its way but also of the range of metal shaping equipment and courses run my world class craftsmen. Hot Rodding is very strong in California and perhaps other parts as well and perhaps it is this which is driving the infra structure to supply their needs.    |
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Welding out of position can be a right pain- well for me it is as I’m not brilliant at TIG welding. When I welded a Healey 3000 front valance for my brother I had to lay on my side on the floor with the pedal between my knees. I’d seen it done on one of those American TV programs. It worked quite well.
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Welding out of position can be a right pain- well for me it is as I’m not brilliant at TIG welding. When I welded a Healey 3000 front valance for my brother I had to lay on my side on the floor with the pedal between my knees. I’d seen it done on one of those American TV programs. It worked quite well. It's not something I'm looking forward to being a novice welder but I'm hoping the rotisserie will allow the panels to be placed in a position to enable a reasonably comfortable height and angle. Once welded together the assembly cannot be removed until the body comes off the rotisserie because it needs to be pulled backwards before it can be lifted clear. Once off putting in the fusion weld on the inside should be reasonably straightforward. |
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Many expensive 60s cars had a speaker grille in the dash/centre console area, so you could make a quickly fitted cover for your screen when you're not using it. We have fitted modern stereos to several classics by sinking the headunit deeper into the dash, and using the front of the original radio as a removable cover to retain the original appearance. That also included hiding the speakers and amps for the same reason.
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Fortunately before getting too carried away with the panel welding I realised that it will be a whole lot easier to shape the inner wing liners before fitting the quarter panels. I'm using mud flap material from Demon Tweeks which should be very durable. To make the seal between it and the wing I've got this push on rubber seal that I got from Woolies. They call it push-on mud flap. www.woolies-trim.co.uk/product/1364/mud-flap-push-onThe rubber is compliant and won't (I hope) damage the aluminium.    |
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oooh that looks ideal for something i need to do too
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A nice surprise this morning when the aircon unit arrived.  In addition to the actual unit I also ordered a mock-up of the casing which is just a plastic facsimile. This gives the benefit of being able to offer it up without fear of damage and make up the mounts.  The kit itself is quite comprehensive with an electrically controlled hot water valve, temperature sensor, two different diameters of ducting and the wiring loom. The climate module has just left Memphis and should be here later in the week. More photos then. |
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I have to say how impressed I am with the presentation of the Vintage Air evaporator unit. Something I haven't come across before, it comes fully wired complete with two power relays and even a circuit breaker. Even if you buy a kit from CBS you have to wire it yourself. Likewise on the Climate Control Module which has just arrived. Beautifully made and designed to interface directly with the VA unit having fully compatible connectors. I was pleasantly surprised that the duty and handling fees were only £12 for each unit and VAT on top of the purchase price. This has been a really easy transaction with just over a week between ordering and delivery.  I've had a slight change of plan regarding the panel welding. This job is being shelved for the time being in favour of getting the body on the chassis initially with the engine in place. This will allow the transmission tunnel to be formed and with the steering column in place an opportunity to think about the dashboard design. |
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I'll be interested to see how you get on with the vintage air kit, I am half thinking about replacing the heater on my elan +2 with something more modern, the standard one is pretty pathetic, don't think I could find anywhere for an aircon compressor though so it would be heater only.
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I'll be interested to see how you get on with the vintage air kit, I am half thinking about replacing the heater on my elan +2 with something more modern, the standard one is pretty pathetic, don't think I could find anywhere for an aircon compressor though so it would be heater only. Vintage Air have a good range of heaters but so do Car Builder Solutions who would almost certainly be less expensive than importing from the States. I shall be buying the drier, switch and hoses from them. They are good to deal with but I've found it necessary to batch up my orders into a reasonable amount because of their standard carriage charge. |
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I've seen the CBS stuff no idea how good it is though, I plan to use their A/C fittings and a generic condenser to fix the A/C on our Eunos this winter. (I've treated myself to a hose crimper) as you say the shipping is a bit pricey particularly as you really want to fit the major components then work out what hose fittings etc you need afterwards.
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I've seen the CBS stuff no idea how good it is though, I plan to use their A/C fittings and a generic condenser to fix the A/C on our Eunos this winter. (I've treated myself to a hose crimper) as you say the shipping is a bit pricey particularly as you really want to fit the major components then work out what hose fittings etc you need afterwards. This is another firm you could take a look at www.t7design.co.uk/heating/heating/ducted-heaters.htmlI have used their smallest 3.5kW heater in a couple of cars and they produced loads of heat for a two seater. At that time they didn't have any motor speed controllers so the fan was always obtrusive. They also do aircon as well. |
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Brilliant work,
Absolutely superb,
Nigel
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BMW E39 525i Sport
BMW E46 320d Sport Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 325 Touring (now sold on.)
BMW E30 320 Cabriolet (Project car - currently for sale.)
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75swb
Beta Tester
Posts: 1,052
Club RR Member Number: 181
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Wonderful! Great to see the friends/family helping out too
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Wonderful! Great to see the friends/family helping out too It really was lovely to have the whole family involved and seemingly enjoying every minute, even if in reality they were just humouring a silly old git who would be better occupied doing a bit of gardening or dare I say pricking out in the greenhouse  . |
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nze12
Part of things
Posts: 193
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Greenhouse with an aluminum frame? 🙂🙂🙂
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1986 BMW E30 refreshed to original spec
1973 BMW E12 520 converting to Motorsport 530
1982 XJS V12 converting to 5 speed manual
Many landscaping projects overriding above!
Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum!
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