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Mar 10, 2022 21:44:36 GMT
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Thanks Chaps, that's really kind of you. The reason I've been quiet for a week or two is because I didn't want to bore you with work that's progressing at a seemingly snail's pace. One final push to finish the passenger's side and make the pod for the minor gauges and then I can get back to doing a bit more on the body. The plan is to get it back onto the rotisserie so that plumbing for fuel and brakes can be laid in and improve accessibility for final welding of the body panels. So, hopefully plenty of what I hope is more interesting work in the near future.
I've just taken delivery of three 8 x 4 sheets of aluminium which I ordered in the nick of time before it becomes in short supply and and the prices sky high. There should be enough to finish the project with what I already have. Providing of course, that I don't make too many mistakes.
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Mar 10, 2022 23:06:14 GMT
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Nice progress. I like the A-H Sprite steelies; have they been banded? They certainly look quite a bit wider than the ones I had on my Minor Traveller years ago.
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Nice progress. I like the A-H Sprite steelies; have they been banded? They certainly look quite a bit wider than the ones I had on my Minor Traveller years ago. Yes they are banded and are now 6" rims with all the additional width on the outside. This was necessary to widen the track sufficiently to accommodate the width of the body. It's not something I am happy doing for fear it will upset the front suspension geometry. The only other course of action was to modify the wishbones which is not an option if I want to retain the 8 points. |
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Well, they certainly look 'right' for the car.
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Duggy
Part of things
Posts: 129 
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Mar 11, 2022 10:15:03 GMT
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Mar 11, 2022 11:00:10 GMT
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Not guilty. I'll be corrected but I think that is a Unipower GT. |
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Duggy
Part of things
Posts: 129
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Mar 11, 2022 12:29:00 GMT
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Not guilty. I'll be corrected but I think that is a Unipower GT. Better not open that can of worms by speculating lol |
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Mar 11, 2022 13:06:17 GMT
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Not guilty. I'll be corrected but I think that is a Unipower GT. Better not open that can of worms by speculating lol Sound advice |
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The front fixture of the rotisserie needed modifying to accommodate the chassis which is now screwed to the body or vice versa. At the same time, the rear mounts had to be beefed up to take the considerable extra weight. The whole thing weighs about 380kg now. Two goes were needed to get the centre of gravity about right and give reasonable balance. Unfortunately, the mounting posts are too short and if the assembly were inverted, the roof would hit the floor. So a bit more work needed but we're getting there.  When TIG welding aluminium there should be no gap so careful trimming is needed.  |
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The dashboard as you may remember is from a metal work point of view complete and it is now in the hands of the upholsterer to cover it. Currently we're at a stage where there is nothing very startling to report and i refuse to bore you with stuff like tweeking the panels and getting the best fit. One thing that might be of interest however is putting a hole in a panel to coincide with the towing fixture or bumper fixing. I haven't decided which yet. The thread is M16. I took a bolt and drilled a 6mm hole down its centre so that a piece of 6mm wire with a sharpened end could be inserted. it was screwed out sufficiently to put a small indentation in the panel when in position. This gave an exact centre for the hole in the panel.    |
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75swb
Beta Tester
Posts: 1,052
Club RR Member Number: 181
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Apr 21, 2022 11:35:54 GMT
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Tweaking and best fit is time well spent. Whats the plan for construction of the front end, are you finishing the rear 100% first? Is there any off the shelf donor parts that might be useful for arches or anything or 100% home built? Can't wait to see how the dash etc comes out trimmed!
Edit: aplogies if you've already made the front end and i somehow missed it, but i think i followed this fairly carefully. Of course if you've got it made and safely stored but havent posted about it, then there had best be no "waiting in the wings" puns when you pull it out...
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Last Edit: Apr 21, 2022 11:41:09 GMT by 75swb
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Tweaking and best fit is time well spent. Whats the plan for construction of the front end, are you finishing the rear 100% first? Is there any off the shelf donor parts that might be useful for arches or anything or 100% home built? Can't wait to see how the dash etc comes out trimmed! Edit: aplogies if you've already made the front end and i somehow missed it, but i think i followed this fairly carefully. Of course if you've got it made and safely stored but havent posted about it, then there had best be no "waiting in the wings" puns when you pull it out... Ha ha, in my dreams but no and you are quite right I haven't started the front end yet but probably naively, I think it will be the easiest part of the build with largish individual panels and something I can get my teeth into. I'm planning on having a normal bonnet for ease of checking levels but for more major works the whole of the front will be demountable. Of late my posts haven't been that frequent largely because I don't want to bore you with mundane stuff. The rear panels are trimmed ready for welding and a start has been made painting the body frame with Bilt Hamber Epoxy resin.  I wasn't happy with the shut lines on the boot lid so I peeled off the turned over lips and made some adjustments. I've got to the point where it's the best I can do. I'm working to a finished gap of 5mm.   I'm using the Fiesta door catches and the fittings have been let into the B post.  I have formed the profile for the B post and the quarter panel extension (which had I planned ahead wouldn't have been necessary if the panel were long enough in the first place.)  I'm currently fiddling around with where the door seal flange should be placed. So as you can see, there are days when thinking rather than making is taking up most of the time. |
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May 11, 2022 17:29:42 GMT
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One of the things I have had to do on this project is to recognise my limits as was the case with covering the dashboard which I have left to a professional and now with the final welding of the body panels in situ on the frame. I can get by TIG welding when the job is on the bench and I can get comfortable but even with the variable angles made possible by the rotisserie as an 80 year old I don't have sufficient agility or steadiness of hand so necessary for TIG welding and particularly in this application. So I have enlisted the help of a professional welder who is due sometime next week. But in the meantime, I shall be doing as much as I can. As an experiment, I have tacked the quarter panel to the quarter light to see if the assembly is removable for metal finishing. If so, because the join is so accessible, probably more so than if it were on the bench I should be able to run a weld and put this bit of the job to bed. As an aside, it has given me quite a lift to see the two panels married together.  |
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You must be so proud of what you've achieved so far, well done!
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You must be so proud of what you've achieved so far, well done! That's really kind of you, thank you. I don't know what I was thinking about when I embarked on this project which is a country mile more ambitious than anything I have tackled before and there have been several occasions when I have regretted the decision. But, on balance, creating a body from scratch has given me a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction seeing it develop and come to fruition. The physical and mental exercise cannot be a bad thing so perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea after all. |
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Stick with it. It's great so far and one of the projects that attracted me back to using the Retro Rides forum.
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Such good work. I love the updates
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May 12, 2022 10:11:32 GMT
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I really want to thank the OP. I have quietly been watching on and it's really impressive. Now I realise you're 80 years young, I want to say thank you personally for the inspiration. I've spent my whole life surfing and skateboarding and living a happy active life. I have found getting to an age where i need to stop doing some of those things very challenging mentally. Being able to work on bikes and cars has been a massive boost to my self esteem and mental health. Knowing I have two or three decades of that pleasure left really gives me more of a reason to keep going. You're an absolute hero.
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1971 Triumph Toledo 1500 Road/rally
1998 Peugeot 106 Rallye
2007 Volvo V50 T5 AWD "Sensible Daily"
1978 BMW R100RS Cafe Racer "Jägerbomb"
1979 Harley Davidson SXT trials bike
2018 Black Lab/Alsatian cross "Rocky"
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