|
Denmark A352
We have been asked to build an A352 with D Type features, reverse engineering if you will, on a Spitfire base for a customer in Denmark. He has already delivered his LHD 1500 Spitfire to Gary's "Mid Century" workshop for conversion to 6 cylinder power and RHD, with the modified body shell following from the Tribute workshop next week.
The body will be changed to a flip front in place of the normal A352 bonnet opening and the large boot lid closed back up to a D Type style spare wheel cover. Work in progress, with shell fitted to our rather scrappy Spitfire "workshop jig" shell: http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psnbptx3g3.jpg http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...pslsbdult9.jpg http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psvdutn4yk.jpg http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psl4j1bfpa.jpg The old GRP Spitfire/GT6 bonnet has been canibalised for its inner structure to mount the new flip front to. |
Great to see another car progressing, especially a D Type.
|
Might want to reduce the front spacers in the first pictures though
|
Another interesting project. :cool:
Is the switch from LHD to RHD to make it look more "British"? Good luck, Paul. :) |
Another Deefire
Call that a scrappy (Spitfire!) shell? It looks better than mine!
Good to see another A352 D Type evocation under construction with the same mods as mine - letter box boot, flip front and six pot engine. Mine also has the cockpit divider and fin, will this? Regards, Mick p.s. Is that red shell going to have a white cross over it................................................ |
I have the Donor at my workshop and the transformation is under way ...
The customer drove the car to me a week and a half ago and it looked like this ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/spit.jpg The fuel tank has been moved forward to give it a better line for the fuel cap location and a harness bar incorporated into this framework too ... The RHD conversion is about 90% done also ...when I receive the D type dash , I can finish the wiring , but pedals , steering , battery box etc are all swapped around ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/bulk.jpg As you rightly say , Paul , the owner wants a more British feel to his car but wanted to start with a car thats already in the Danish system rather than the expense and aggro of buying a British car and trying to establish its paperwork in Denmark after the conversion .... The GT6 engine and gearbox I got earlier in the year from Adam is destined to go in this car ...Its pretty much back together , just a couple of missing parts to locate and a new thrust bearing carrier on its way to replace the damaged one and she should be going in the car ... |
I might be interested in the Slotmags if the chap decides to sell them, Gary.
|
What a shape !!!
Quote:
PS: Next Thursday is the 25th- we're round to another Bikes & Cars on the Esplanade evening at Weymouth. |
Hmm.. I might try to get to Weymouth but might be a bit busy with this : www.BigBikeBash.co.uk which starts the next day
|
Bonnet and boot lids bonded in, glassed from both sides and filled
http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psmw5gct73.jpg http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3tkmggf9.jpg |
Quote:
The car will be painted green I believe, once it gets back to Denmark. |
Oops!
I've amended my post above as it was open to misinterpretation, shell we say. No offence intended, of course.
Pedantic Regards, Mick p.s. White cross, Denmark, geddit? |
Hmmm I like the idea of a removable rigid cover I'll have to give it some thought? can you show some photos when it's fitted please.
|
Quote:
They were secured about 4 days ago and collected today ....Sorry .. |
Body looks very good Chris , I am looking forward to seeing it finished ...
I think this car has the potential to be a very pretty little Special ....The D type styling is gorgeous and so very much 'of that period' Nearly as pretty as a Sammio Spyder .... :-) |
Quote:
|
Bit of progress today ....Engine and gearbox in , slight mod on the gearbox mount , bit of bulkhead and floor trimming to clear the starter motor and overdrive unit and she's in place !
Plumbing and wiring underway .... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...otlink/eng.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...otlink/box.jpg |
Returns added to scuttle area:
http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psynrz1uld.jpg http://i1046.photobucket.com/albums/...psg4shyth4.jpg Just the front section to bond to its inner frame and then off it goes to be built up on the donor Spitfire. |
|
Coming together very nicely / quickly....:)
|
Hmmm, how to convince my wife about another project...
|
Chris delivered the bodyshell today and gave me an hour of his time to ensure that the shell fitted as it should ....there were a few differences on this one , its been extensively welded and repaired at some time and we aren't convinced its totally as the factory intended ...I have had similar issues with Heralds so no surprises ...but after some jiggling , we were happy with its first fit ...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...link/35222.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/3522.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...otlink/352.jpg I mounted the flip front before I came home , but no pics as of yet ... |
Bit more done on Friday / Saturday ...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...k/d%20rear.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18.../d%20front.jpg internal bulkheads were glassed into the boot area ....always interesting glassing panels in an area you can just about get your head and one arm into and just about reach the panel !! But a massive improvement on rigidity on the rear , so worth it ! rear light units , boot hinges and D type style latch and handle fitted too ... headlight buckets were bonded and glassed into place , holes cut and buckets fitted ...hopefully got a plan for front indicators tomorrow .. |
|
Look how easy and quick it was to mount that door. Scottie will be very pissed off:boink:
|
lol...I reckon I have about 5 hours in that door and about 2-3 hours in the other one so far ... Its the fiddly lining up stuff that takes a while ...The panels on this one fitted the aperture pretty good , which really helped .
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/352d.jpg |
|
Lots of work being going on with the A352 but not a lot thats particularly photogenic ...
More notable things that are happening is the wiring is well underway . A D type dash has been modified to fit and has gained some extra switch gear etc. An ignition key and start button system has replaced the standard ignition , all controls are off the column , so headlight switch and floor dipper switch now in place ..indicator switch just below dash , extra idiot lights in a row horizontally and pull out switches for heater fan , map light and roundall lights travelling vertically next to the two smaller gauges ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/3521.jpg still work to do but getting there .... A non tailfinned headrest has been fitted , Chris has developed this panel to adorn both the 352's and the D type bodies ..this is the first one and they are a nice job ..the curve is just right for that D type styling ...they sit higher than a Sammio one and look very tall without the screen in place but they are very cool with the petrol flap and hidden fuel cap system . http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...ink/3527_1.jpg I have bonded it on and will be adding some rivet detail when its glued firmly ...I have hinged and latched the flap using standard butt hinges fitted to aluminium angle shelves rivetted through the headrest and bonded in place too ...The latch is a standard quarter turn Herald boot handle type and will be opened with a square drive Church key T handle through the hole on the side ...The original D type simply has a hole here you push a spring clip through with your finger to release the flap ..but we felt a lock was better !! http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...link/352_1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/3524.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/3523.jpg |
Looks pretty darn good already. Good looking car (of course)
Thanks for the updates Dave |
Gary - Lots of nice details going into this build. :cool:
I assume you re-routed the fuel line before the hump was bonded into place? Good luck, Paul. :) |
Yes Paul , I did .... before the hump was bonded on , 2 large holes big enough to get your hand through were cut ...not sure of the size but the biggest hole saws I had , so about 6'' at a guess ...the front hole allows access to the bottom of the stock Spitfire filler cap , the rear hole allows access to the roundall light to change the bulb or get to the wiring and fixings .
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...ink/3522_1.jpg A trip to Hypehose got me two large 90 degree bends that when suitable cut and sleeved with a stainless steel insert , gave me a continual rubber filler hose from filler cap to tank . All accessible when interior in as I intend to change the way the rear cockpit panel fits so it can be removed easily when cockpit sides are in place properly . http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/3525.jpg |
It's looking good and progressing well putting mine to shame doh!
|
A bit more progress this week ....
I made a start on the seat bases ...Landrover swabs are being used ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/seat.jpg Then whilst the welder was out , I made a start on the removable centrebar and tonneau.. Chris supplied a D type centre bar , which with about 10mm trimmed from the rear , fitted very nicely .. A 20mm box frame was made to span the area and sits on a small shelf at the rear attached to a 20mm box brace secured to the body and the floor and across to the B pillar too .. At the front 2 little shelfs poke out from the dash about an inch and are beaced back to the Spits original bulkhead ...nice and strong as people will push on it to get in and out ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/bar3.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...link/bar_1.jpg Centre bar is bolted using 6mm domed bolts to resemble rivets through into the shelves and will be bonded to the internal frame when finished ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/bar1.jpg The compound curved sheet of fibreglass Chris supplied has been roughly trimmed to size but thats as far as I got .... it will be fitted seperately , so we have full tonneau , centre bar only or fully open cockpit options ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/bar2.jpg |
Still fighting the tonneau cover ....
The complex curves of the bodyshell are quite challenging when it comes to making a tonneau look fitted rather than 'screwed on' Chris supplied me a nice bit of fibreglass that had the double curve thing going on but it still needed work to fit ... I cut a piece roughly to shape and fixed some 2'' flatstrip around the cockpit perimeter and put the tonneau in place ...by opening the pass. door I could reach in and tag the pieces together with small strips , just enough to hold it all together ....I then removed it and fully glassed it ....lots of gapping up and tweaking later and it is starting to take shape .... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/ton3.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/ton1.jpg The tonneau is held in place with a pin through a bracket on the bottom of the centre bar and a small ally bracket on the rear , just behind the pass. door , which will be rivetted in place eventually and screwed to the body using a rubber thread sert fixing .. Another fitting will be near the dash but I'm not doing that until I tackle the screen and mirror fixings ... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...tlink/ton2.jpg Lots more filling to do to get it nice ... I might talk to Chris about allowing me to take a mould from it so that I can produce a lighter version for the final fit .. |
Spoke to Chris yesterday about moulding the tonneau and hes going to do it for my customer ...so thank you Christoph for that ...You needed something to do anyway ...pretty sure you stopped for a few seconds last time I called in ... !!
My customer has requested small dzus style fixings to hold it on , so a slight rework of the bracket on the rear and an additional one on the dash/ door area will deal with that ... Today , hopefully , I will be mostly fitting a radiator ... |
How about a tonneau cover with a lump for the steering wheel for the other side?
They could both live un the boot but would give both rain protection and a bit more security? You've done one side, I'm sure someone as skilled as you could knock it up in half an hour:boink: Looking good though |
contactnumber
hi Gary, what number can you be contacted on?
|
I have pm'd you Striker ...
|
The absolutely gorgeous Chris from Tribute pulled out all the stops this weekend and moulded and produced a tonneau cover for me alongside his epic workload ...so big up the Chrismeister !!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...link/tonnz.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...link/tonny.jpg |
Quote:
|
| All times are GMT +0. The time now is 20:31. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright Madabout Kitcars 2022