New Builder
 

Hi,
Just put down the deposit and Gary promised me the 59th!
Building with the vitesse 1600 and have stripped her down, 15" wheels and hubs obtained, plus tank, swing spring and roll bar (and rather optimistically, steering wheel!)
Thinking bulkhead off is the way to go? as could do with dipping and new floor pans.
Hopefully overdrive gearbox to add and complete putting her together, ready for pick-up. Just read the thread on recessing the bulkhead for the wheels? hadn`t thought of that?? Trial fit of wheels I think!.
Any usefull tips will be greatly received....spannerwork not bad..glassing... new experience.
Nick

Welcome along Nick,

Lots of exciting times ahead - any idea when yours will be ready for collection?

Trevor.
http://www.sammiospyder.blogspot.com/

Hi Trevor,

Gary tells me 3-4 weeks...just flicked through the postings and got somewhat depressed at that rather lovely blue chassis with just about everything new on it!...Think i`m looking at more, get the basics done right and plenty of tweaking in the future. My aim is to get my car looking like Helen Mirren, looking great for her age.
Nick

Hi Nick, welcome to the mad house!

We should have organised a bulk buy of Swing Spring kits from Canleys as a lot of people seem to be going that route recently!

You may get away without having to recess your bulkheads as long as you go for a lower profile tyre. I've just had a set of 165/65/15's fitted to my new wheels, but the car is up on stands while it's being painted, so i'm not going to see how much better they make things until that's done (fingers crossed, by the end of the week!)

I look forward to seeing pics as you progress.

Dave

Hi Nick welcome aboard I am also building my Spyder from a Vitesse I have gone about as far as I can go untill my Rebody test in 8 Days not that I'm counting,I haven't recessed my Bulheads yet I am still undecided on wheels and also thought it best to let the VOSA boys check it over first. I was completely new to glassing but all that I have done wasn't a problem.
Good luck with your Build.
John

Hi Nick,
yes - 59th body - I am so chuffed !! An original idea to 'bang a few together and keep one ' has gone a bit astray - more than a few have gone and I haven't got one !!

We can get yours ready for weekend starting 24th September , if you want !

let me know....

Yay, just got hold of an overdrive gearbox! more spannerwork!

Am i being thick? how do you post photos? clicking the insert image it asks for an URL for the image? do I have to load it somewhere? why can`t i pick it up from "my pictures" and paste it in?

Go into Advanced at the bottom of quick reply, then click on the paperclip. I have found I have to reduce the size of my Pics in paint first or they won't load.

Thanks I will give it a go

Pictures
 

Welcome Nick, Take a look on the practice pictures thread, using photobucket works easy, no resizing and the pics go straight on your posting with no attachments.
Psycho pops:eusa_dance: I think am number 58 by the way so toying with the idea of wearing the number on mine

Off to Poole
 

Off to Poole in the morning to pick up Nr 61.

Early start from Margate, rekon 3 to 4hr trip....long day ahead! but a tiny bit exited.:rockon:

Have a nice day, let me know what journey was like?
 

Garyh. Just advertised body panels on ebay, seems to be very popular. :pray2:

Hi Nick,

HAPPY DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!

Have fun - the adventure starts tomorrow!

Remember to take lots of photos,

Trevor
http://www.sammiospyder.blogspot.com/

Try and get a pic of Trevs car! Nick.
 

Or have you been sent some Trev? Give us a look...:eyebrows:

Garyh, No pics since the first ones from GaryJ almost 3 weeks ago sadly.

I don't think you will see it Nick as it at the bodyshop.

Trevor
http://www.sammiospyder.blogspot.com/

Prop shaft
 

Did you manage to get the shorter prop shaft too?
Psycho pops

Overdrive box
 

Nope!
Had a bit of a gamble on the gearbox as fate had it my eldest is at Bath uni and I was visiting her. Saw two boxes on ebay a GT6 and 1500 spit (noticed it was a D type) ended up winning the spit box for £124 great bloke who restores TR2, 3 & 4s the Bristol one went for £211? with prop. Prop shortening is pretty simple lathe cut of weld, cut down shaft and re-weld....so I am told??

Think we need to look at who is bidding on ebay as I am beggining to suspect us Sammio boys are bidding on the same items!

Lessons learnt part 1
 

Great trip to Poole today....

Lesons however learnt :-

Lesson 1
When selling you body...(car) make sure it is picked up before you collect your new body or your garage gets somewhat full and you trip over the bloody thing.

Lesson 2
When you mate says..Ok I will be there to help unload...make sure it is not a saturday and he has pissed off down the pub! Yes I did manage to offload the frame and body on my own! I have now perfected the frame and rear body skirt walk...yes you can nearly wear it.

now knackered I returned to pub had several pints followed by copious quantities of red wine......tomorrow is another day!:yo:

Halfrauds large tarpaulin got me out of that pickle for a couple of weeks! :)

yup, i found that as i unloaded it all on my own as well, the body balances quit nicely and i can "just" get my arms either side of the bonnet! :)

So lets get some photos then!

Nick, don't forget...
 

I'm 20minutes down the road!:wacko: Garyh.

Good to meet you Nick - now get on with it , Exeter is 4 weeks away !! :icon_biggrin:

Photo Test
 

So here we are at the beginning....Vitesse arrives with bundles of spare parts and my first award of the most untidy garage!
http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0587.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0588.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0585.jpg

Here we are now!
 

Two weeks later and award Nr 2 for still having an untidy garage!
Tank and frame painted first coat, body stripped down...swing spring waiting to go on and overdrive box sitting at the back waiting patiently....http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0664.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0663.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0665.jpg.....think i`ve got the hang of the photos now:whoo:

Thanks Garyh I may very well take you up on assistance with body on, body off

Good to meet you too Gary....even tho we were both suffering with hangovers! might not quite make Exeter...looking at the frame I first coated tonight...looks like I need stronger lighting as the flash has picked up the misses....daylight job in future I think

Looks good! I'm jealous of the size of your garage, that is going to make things MUCH easier! Especially if you are going to spray yourself.

Hi, big garage means more junk I've found, he say's looking to get another shed to put junk in....PAT

I have an apex roof so....
 

i was thinking of suspending bodywork above car? :flame: but i do like the idea of a marquee for shotblasting! if i have to cut bits of metal into chassis, what thickness do i go for/ also Butt joint or overlap?:ranger:

Garage Envy
 

You are quite right....this is what it looks like after ive cleared most of the junk out!! Def think I will try and build a plastic spray booth inside.
What you cant see is the floor subsiding at the back...I dug a trial hole and found the basement (garage used to be a house) its been backfilled with all sorts of crap...keep finding handbags and shoes???? thinking of getting the police to dig it out :biggrin: will end up with an inspection pit then.

Well at least I have managed to get the old spring off...diff dropped for clean and paint and extended studs and lowering block.. cleaned up swing spring and took off prop ready for shortening...also hacked the windscreen...just cos I could....few more photos:ranger: http://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0667.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0666.jpghttp://i1177.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0668.jpg
(picture of the wheels im using...15" 48 spoke)

Excellent!

I loved this stage of the build, every day it seemed like loads of progress was made. I'm very much into the mechanicals over the bodywork anyway, so was in my element at this stage.

Trevor.
http://www.sammiospyder.blogspot.com/

Yep me too Trevor.....bodwork is going to be a real trial for me as I`m a tad impatient...the thought of all that filling and rubbing down and filling uugh! Going to get the bulkhead off tomorrow so I can swap the gearbox easier, then going to go for the gearstick overdrive switch rather than column

I can certainly back up the fact that the bodywork is a right royal pain and takes AGES and doesn't seem to progress that quickly. I've taken ages to fill, then ages to primer, then ages to spray, now it's taking ages to flat and polish and yet with all the time taken i'm still finding flaws! :(

Now i understand why a "proper" spray job costs ~£1500!

That said, it will be very satisfying once it's done no matter how it turns out just knowing that i did it! and i can always carry on correcting mistakes over the coming few months :)

The only deadline, is the one you set yourself!
 

I know its easy to say, but i know when i start i will have many months when i couldn't/wouldn't want to take the car out anyway.:icon_smile:

Oh Dear! bloody weather! why can`t it just rain every weekend? Two weekends of just sitting in the sun on the beach (beach bar) with a cool cider!

Not progressed very far at all and to top it off, most unimpressed with Mulberrys excellent work on his chassis, resulting in me stripping the whole thing back to bare metal in shame, at my previous efforts. Hope to push things on with a target ive set myself for body on by 20th November (no reason, but if I don`t set one I wont miss it!

Come on, Nick...
 

I'm having to paint today, at least the weather ok for the rest of the week.
Will be taking engine out saturday, touchwood. I should see what GaryJ has got ready for Exeter on friday. Is that garage any emptier yet? Has the tub gone? The scrappy took mine, they do come in handy... :tea:

No :mmph: Garage is still a mess. Pillock who bought the body tub didn`t pick it up so I am thinking pile it all up and take it down to Mr scarappy may be the best bet.

I am also thinking about turning a couple of sets of the rear seats into "garage seating" a la topgear stylie so I can watch my creation form. :popcorn:

:lever: of to the pub tonight to think of a game plan for the weekend

The weathers changed...
 

So i expect to see some more done... no more sitting by the sea!:boink:

http://garyssammiospyderbuild.blogspot.com

just rigged up 4 x 400w halogen floods in the garage....not only sort out the gloomyness in the garage, but also the SAD syndrome.

Yet again let down on the tub! guy was expecting it never to have had a repair:argue:

Piled up all the remaining scrap and off it goes.

Four more days at work then 10 days dedicated to progress:smokin:

10 whole days..
 

working on car! WOW. Keep the camera with you, so you can take pics of all the trickey bits:whip: