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cbjroms 6th November 2011 17:26

CJ's Build
 
3 Attachment(s)
Having spent the past few months stripping the donor, selling-off unwanted parts, repairing both my chassis and front bulkhead I am now ready to start the build.

Here are a couple of shots of my bulkhead which is going to be painted tonight.
Attachment 403
Attachment 404

I have had all of my front/rear suspension components powder coated by a company called Trestans in Southampton. Here are just a few examples - I have about 3 boxes full of nice, clean and shiny parts. They look great and would you believe that it cost me only £90 to get it all done!
Attachment 405

I posted a few weeks ago about my repaired chassis when I saw someone on Triumph Torque being told that a chassis which had rot in its main rails should be scrapped. Got some reassuring comments on here from Davecymru & Mister Towed. Also talked to a local TR restorer who said that my repair is 'not pretty but neither does it lack strength". He suggested that I should drill a series of 3/8 along the bottom of the chassis (from rear outrigger back to start of boot outrigger) to let the air through and damp out.

Anyway whilst I was deliberating I came across a Triumph Herald chassis that has never seen the road and the metal work is as new. Secured it at a very fair price and it is now in the garage ready for my next Sammio build. But what is really ironic is that this chassis has had the boot outriggers and front bar ends removed as if it has been waiting for a Sammio body to come along. So when I build my 2nd Sammio I will, presumably, have to weld these extremities back to appease VOSA!

I have already got my frame but now need to get onto Gary and order the rest of the kit.

Chris

Patton 6th November 2011 17:51

Hi, let the good times roll, even when it's not so good getting over the problem is good, have fun, cheers PAT n Skippy.

davecymru 6th November 2011 19:43

Glad i was of some use and i look forward to seeing another (far too shiny!) build :)

garyh 14th November 2011 15:51

CJ, your bulkhead...
 
were they new floorpans?:ranger:

cbjroms 14th November 2011 17:06

Hi garyh,

I got the floor pans from a bulkhead that someone had started to repir. So they were basicallynew.

Chris

garyh 14th November 2011 18:09

floorpans bought from Canleys
 
1 Attachment(s)
See pic attached. The ones i bought from Canleys have a constant edge all round, but in my pic it steps up to allow for the mounting bracket? So, does it mean I don't need a mounting bracket? my flooring pan will cover where the opening is that leads up to the hinges.:ranger:


http://garyssammiospyderbuild.blogspot.com/

cbjroms 14th November 2011 19:44

1 Attachment(s)
Hi garyh,

As well as the floor-pans you also need the repair section that forms a step in the corner and has the mounts on the bottom. This then needs to be shoe-horned between the bulkhead and the floor-pans.

Can't remember the technical details but the photo below hopefully makes sense.

Attachment 410

These repair sections are (only?) available from Chic Doig in Scotland who has an Ebay shop and provides excellent service.

Hope this helps.

Chris

davecymru 14th November 2011 21:37

The only bit of rust i found on mine was at that point on the drivers side, i ended up stripping it down with wire wheels and then fabricating repair patches out of 2mm steel sheet which were welded and then tiger-sealed in place. twas very fiddly, so if you're not that confident welding or you can get repair panels then i'd say go for that option!

garyh 14th November 2011 23:08

Thanks, Chris and Dave
 
I will learn to weld, then i will be confident... hows that. So, anyway where my new floorpans just run straight across with out stepping up could not just extend sides of bulkhead down to meet floorpans and weld a nut/washer on the inside of the pan and don't worry about the mounting points?:flame: as long as the body comes off the same way... and its all covered over in fibreglass.

Mister Towed 15th November 2011 08:29

Mine were completely rusted away on both sides. I did a bit of measuring and head scratching before removing the bulkhead: they're 2" 'U' channel, and I'm planning to fabricate something to do the job.

Thinking Sammio style, ie, completely off the wall, how about a bit of 2"x2" timber cut to length, suitably treated with Cuprinol and bolted in. Anyone tell me why that would'nt work? :spy:

davecymru 15th November 2011 11:02

Given the strains that area is likely to receive and also a willingness to keep the nice ginger gentleman from VOSA happy with a like-for-like repair, I'd suggest possibly using some 50mm x 50mm x 2mm steel box section, simply cut to length and then bolted in place with either one long bolt or two shorter ones?

For a fiver you should be able to get enough to do both sides?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Steel-box-...-/110639398816

cbjroms 13th December 2011 11:50

3 Attachment(s)
Just a quick picture update:

Attachment 432
Attachment 433
Attachment 434

So the bulkhead is on and the front/rear suspension will be finished this weekend. I will also be cutting the bulkhead down this weekend.

I am hoping to collect my Spyder body from Gary next week and am leaving the rimming of the plywood floors until I can see how wide they need to be for the body.

Chris

Mister Towed 13th December 2011 15:02

Looking good. Looking very good indeed. :biggrin1:

cbjroms 27th December 2011 17:35

4 Attachment(s)
I collected the body and bonnet from Gary and Mike last Thursday. Had to just put it onto the frame to see what it looks like. Some photos here - very pleased with the look of the twin headrests.

Attachment 449
Attachment 448

Comparing photos on the Sammio website with those of other builders on this forum I was not sure how far the plywood floors should extend outboard of the side rails.

If I have understood Gary correctly, the floor should be in line with the side rails at the back but meet the bulkhead pressing about 1" in at the front. I have added a red line to the following photos of my current floor to show how, I believe, it needs to be trimmed back

Attachment 445
Attachment 446

Am I going in the right direction on this?

Thanks

Chris

mulberry 27th December 2011 17:54

chris looks like you need to be wider on your front edge, take your line from the front edge of your wood. taper back to were you have drawn your rear red line.... hope it make sense.....ah double scoops,,, double the hassle.....only kidding

cbjroms 27th December 2011 18:17

Thanks Mulberry,

I know what you mean and that is what I would have done before I checked with Gary.

But Gary definitely said that I would need to take 1" off the width of the front pressing.

Chris

Mister Towed 27th December 2011 18:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbjroms (Post 25390)
Thanks Mulberry,

I know what you mean and that is what I would have done before I checked with Gary.

But Gary definitely said that I would need to take 1" off the width of the front pressing.

Chris

Yep, that's my understanding too. I emailed Gary ages ago about this and got the following reply:

The floor is 12mm ply and follows the chassis shape except at the front it starts full width less an inch when lined up against the A pillar area...this tapers back to exact width as rear outriggers...

So, the floor should meet the end of the outrigger at the back but be 1" inboard of the end of the front one, right?

davecymru 27th December 2011 21:10

hummmmm, i'd not heard that one about chopping the front end metalwork before?

i'd got Gary to cut me my original floor pans and i certainly didn't chop any metalwork off the front and mine ended up ok. i admit that it doesn't lip under at the front as it's a bit high due to bulkhead/chassis rail differences (LONG story!), but even if i had the front lower and lipping over, i'm sure i would be fine?

I'll have a look tomorrow and see what the clearances on mine are like as you've got me thinking now! :)

Mister Towed 27th December 2011 21:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by davecymru (Post 25397)
hummmmm, i'd not heard that one about chopping the front end metalwork before?

i'd got Gary to cut me my original floor pans and i certainly didn't chop any metalwork off the front and mine ended up ok. i admit that it doesn't lip under at the front as it's a bit high due to bulkhead/chassis rail differences (LONG story!), but even if i had the front lower and lipping over, i'm sure i would be fine?

I'll have a look tomorrow and see what the clearances on mine are like as you've got me thinking now! :)

Erm, not planning to cut any metalwork out of the bulkhead to fit the floors (well, apart from the rotten floorpan that needs replacing). My understanding is that you cut the floors to fit 1" inboard of outside the edge of the 'pans and taper them back to match the width of the rear outriggers at the back.

Over to you Gary...

cbjroms 27th December 2011 21:57

Davecymru,

I have seen your comment in your thread 'doesn't lip under at the front' but am not sure that I fully understand what you mean.

Could you just explain so that I can watch-out for this potential problem?

Thanks

Chris

Mister Towed 27th December 2011 22:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbjroms (Post 25402)
Davecymru,

I have seen your comment in your thread 'doesn't lip under at the front' but am not sure that I fully understand what you mean.

Could you just explain so that I can watch-out for this potential problem?

Thanks

Chris

Good point Chris, does the lower edge of the body-shell sit under the floor/chassis rail or on top? Haven't got to that bit of the build yet me'self...

cbjroms 28th December 2011 08:24

Mr Towed,

I have not fitted the body shell as yet but understand that it should curve under the plywood floor and align with the bottom of the chassis rail.

Would be grateful for confirmation that I am correct in this.

Chris

lancelot link 28th December 2011 09:06

As with many of the processes in building the cars , there are no strict hard and fast rules....

Chris , as you say above is correct for how I would do it...

The body should cover the side rails of the chassis , we have discovered on some builds that the drivers side can be a bit short sometimes - no idea why and it isn't on every car.

We developed the kit on a 1200 and I wonder if 13/60's are slightly different although I am assured by the experts they aren't.

It is possible to tease the body down a bit if it is a bit short.....on the worst one we had , Mike sliced the sill and pulled it down a little and reglassed it , thats extreme , I think that car had repair issues that were throwing us....

Floorwise , again , no rules but I found that the first few cars we did stuck out a little at the bulkhead ....not a big issue but as with all things that grow and develop with time , I found that trimming about an inch of the Herald sill width at the base of the A pillar and therefore narrowing the body slightly , meant we could pull the body in slightly....I prefer the look but that doesn't mean its the right way to do it...



At the end of the day , we advise how we would build the car , its not the only way ....I give the advise as I see it at the time I am asked , if it changes the advise will change !.....lots of cars are getting different building materials and styles incorporated into the builds and I find this aspect of the cars really interesting...

cbjroms 28th December 2011 09:22

Thanks Gary,

I think that one of the great things about the Sammio is that there is no need for complicated build instructions because we can work most of it out for ourselves.

But your experience of what has worked best in the past is invaluable to us builders. I, for one, feel that you pitch your advice at the right sort of level (clear, easy to follow but without the need for immense detail) and the Getting Started section of your website is great.

Chris

Mister Towed 28th December 2011 09:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbjroms (Post 25410)
Thanks Gary,

I think that one of the great things about the Sammio is that there is no need for complicated build instructions because we can work most of it out for ourselves.

But your experience of what has worked best in the past is invaluable to us builders. I, for one, feel that you pitch your advice at the right sort of level (clear, easy to follow but without the need for immense detail) and the Getting Started section of your website is great.

Chris

I'll second that. Thanks Gary, the above will really help.

davecymru 28th December 2011 10:27

Third'ed by me!

Now I'm just about done i know i've not done things exactly the way Gary would have and I'm aware of a few boo-boo's i've made that are now "design features" :) but any issues i've encountered i've always been ready to simply give-it-a-go and figure out how i want to resolve them with the skills i have.

I think as Gary suggests, our cars are so old and there are so many variations and changes that have been made over the years, no two donors are ever going to be identical and so the challenges we face will all be slightly different. In my case it turned out that my 'Vitesse' was actually a Herald 13/60 with a GT6 engine and box and Vitesse suspension, breaks and other bits.
So when i placed my shell on and it rested fine on the bulkhead but the front end sat slightly too high for the shell to be able to wrap under the front of the chassis rails. I simply assumed this was the way it was designed and i worked with it. I now know different, but you'll only ever know, if you're in the know, if you know what i mean? :)

cbjroms 30th December 2011 17:41

5 Attachment(s)
Managed to do a trial fit of the main body shell today.

Attachment 451
Cockpit seems to be in the right position against the front and rear parts of the frame.
Attachment 453
But the offside front of the shell seems to be sitting a bit high.
Attachment 454
The web on the left hand side of the photo below is supporting the body and so I will take some height of this web with the angle grider. It is difficult to see on this photo but this fibreglass lip is about 1" above the bulkhead and there is a large 2" gap behind it.
Attachment 455
The lip in the middle of the shell (ie where the heater used to be) is flush against both the horizontal and vertical faces of the bulkhead.
Attachment 456


Chris

Psycho pops 30th December 2011 19:34

Hi Chris

Mine was the same - Higher on the drivers side, in order to drop it down I took the following steps
Took the corners off my frame as the body was grounding out on these,
Took the foot of the casting in your fourth photo and took the top off the metal that sits into the moulding (Where the bonnet stops used to be )on the drivers side.
Now the body fits down to the side rail, see latest pics in Stewarts build.
Cheers Psycho

cbjroms 5th January 2012 22:15

3 Attachment(s)
Thanks Psycho pops,

I have made a few 'adjustments' to the web on the offside of the bulkhead and also the foot of the bodyshell that sits next to the master cylinder. Bodyshell now looks to fit well on both sides.

Attachment 458
Attachment 459
Attachment 457

So next stage is to get the engine/gerabox into place and adjust the front springs. Then off to VOSA to get the V5 changed.

Chris

mulberry 7th January 2012 13:37

that looks better

cbjroms 26th January 2012 21:00

Just got around to bolting up the plywood floors to the flange on the rear of both floorpans.

I have put my floors on top of the metal flange which, itself, is sitting directly onto the chassis. I know that on the Herald there was a rubber strip between the flange and the chassis, but don't want to raise the plywood floors any higher off the chassis.

Wondering whether other builders have put the plywood underneath the floorpan flange so that it sits straight onto the chassis and is nice and flat?

What is the perceived wisdom out there? Plywood on top or underneath?

Thanks

Chris

Paul D 26th January 2012 21:45

Wooden floors
 
Crikey, had to go and check that... funny how soon you forget.

We put our plywood on top of the rearmost part of the flange, but set the plywood down onto strip rubber to isolate it from some of the chassis vibration.

Then through-bolted along the flange in three places, with partially countersunk washers let into the plywood to lose the bolt heads flush with the floor.

Hope thats some help.

Paul.

Psycho pops 26th January 2012 21:53

Mine is on top for max support as are most I believe, not a problem if you are careful with you choice of seats. The alternative being steal drop pans if you aren't vertically challenged like me...
Pops

davecymru 27th January 2012 09:29

My original ply floorpans are on top of the chassis rails, with a thick bead of Tigerseal between them and the chassis and then bolted in place as well.

But seeing as my legs were designed a bit long to fit the Sammio, i did chop a hole in the middle of the ply and fit a lowering pan, the bottom of which sits flush with the bottom edge of the chassis rail.

I know that another alternative is that Trevor had some small angle brackets welded on the bottom edge of the chassis rails so that his wooden floors sat lower naturally, if that helps?

cbjroms 8th March 2012 21:49

Just finishing-off a few jobs before the body goes on for the final time.

Fitted the steering column tonight. In addition to the column support that bolts to the frame, there is another bracket on the column that looks as if it might have been bolted to the bulkhead in the past. But as it does not line up directly with any matching hole on the bulkhead I am a bit stumped. Can anyone advise please?

Thanks

Chris

cbjroms 14th April 2012 14:54

5 Attachment(s)
Having had to 'cut and shut' my outriggers to get the chassis true, I have fitted a pair of Gary's new floorpans and put the engine in place to see how the chassis now sits with the body rested in place. Photos below.

Attachment 600

Attachment 601

Attachment 602

Attachment 603

Attachment 604

Just wondering whether there is an optimum test as regards levelling the body 'fore & aft' and would be grateful for any lessons learned by someone who is ahead of me.

I am assuming that the front of the body is set by the ledge which sits on the bulkhead where the cut-out for the heater used to be. But you will see that I have cut some big slots in the back so that I could drop the rear of the cockpit down onto the frame but that looks too low to me as I feel that the sides of the cockpit need to be parallel to the ground. I realise that there will be no single, correct answer but want to avoid any knock-on problems later in the build.

Thanks

Chris

Mister Towed 14th April 2012 15:25

Looking very good Chris. That's a good question about setting the body - will be reaching that stage shortly myself and I am awaiting the answers with eager anticipation. :baby:

Psycho pops 14th April 2012 21:20

Hi Chris
I am still test fitting my body, I cut slots in the rear for the outriggers and dropped the body until it rested on the framework, at the front it is resting on the lip in the centre, however i notice tonight it is slightly higher passenger side so will remove the lip to set it down slightly.
Are you running standard suspension? as your body is sitting higher at the back than mine. I will level mine off by dropping the front suspension a little.
Have twin exhausts at the rear with abut 4 inch clearance at the boxes.

Pops

cbjroms 15th April 2012 11:51

Pops,

I have Gary's lowering block on the back and have cut the same amount voff the front springs as Trevor did.

You have done exactly the same as me 'I cut slots in the rear for the outriggers and dropped the body until it rested on the framework, at the front it is resting on the lip in the centre..'

But I found that this looked wrong as the sides of the body were lower at the back than the front and photos of other builds look like the side edges of the cockpit should be horizontal?

So that is why I have packed the slots for the rear outriggers back out again, to lift the back so that the sides are more horizontal.

Chris

Mister Towed 15th April 2012 12:56

Chris, check your shell is true before altering anything else. The bottom edge of mine is horizontal on the passenger side and inclines up towards the front on the dirver's side, and it's not my chassis, bulkhead or frame that's not straight, it's definitely the body.


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