Fantastico!!!!!!

Bet you had a big grin on your face

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...0&d=1522179026

That works ......

It was more a sigh of relief ! It does actually go together !

Awesome! The devil will be in the details, as always.
Looking really great!

The rear end will to mount up to the chassis. A few simple brackets welded the chassis and matching brackets welded to the original steel tube structure of the rear end will secure it in place. The front end will need more work to mount it. The doors are simple but require the hinging method to be worked out.

Shouldn't be too horrible to fab some tubing for the front.
Hinges, etc. will be easy enough for you as well.
In all, a bit of time is necessary. Looking splendid right now!

Superb

Lucky – I know you did your homework before buying the body shell, but that really has worked out very well. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

I know it’s early stages but - bl@@by hell looks wicked.

Thanks for sharing

Dave

Not much progress this weekend other than to make a small repair on the lower chassis rail and tidy up some of chassis where panels had been attached. I need to redrill my hub adaptors to the correct PCD before fitting the wheels and lining up the body.

Looks excellent!!

hi lucky, tried to contatc you. did you get my messages?

No I didn't, send a pm.

Had some larger 185/80 - 15 tyres fitted to the rear wheels. They fill the arches really nicely, just waiting on the machine shop to finish modding my hub adaptors so I can bolt them on.
Once that's done I can line up the rear end accurately and make some bracketry to hold it in place. The front end will require considerably more work but I'm quite happy with progress so far! Photos to follow.

Eagerly awaiting the pics...

Hi lucky have sent e mail can you check pleas. Thanks.

Wheel adaptors came back today. I've only offered one of the rear wheels up tonight but it looks just right. I'll get the others mounted up and I should be in a position to finalise the rear body fitment over the weekend.
Also ordered a 15" wood rim steering wheel of a similar design to the original TR. I plan to make the interior look like the original cars did back in the 1950's.

All the wheels mounted up today and offered the body work up again. After a lot of jiggling around its all sitting pretty square over the chassis. I've made some brackets to attach the rear end in place and welded these to the chassis. I'm making eight attachment points which should be plenty once its all bolted down. Front end and doors next.

A couple of weeks to Stoneliegh , there's a slim possibility it might be on the road by then !

Wow that would be some going :tea:

Pics, we need pics!

It won't be painted by then but I'm hoping to at least have the body together and fixed in place. I'll just need the lights in and a seat and technically its drivable ! Pictures to follow...........

Here are a few pics from the weekend. The rear end sits on the "7" upper chassis at exactly the right height . The side shots show the fitment of the deep dish wires with the correct size tyres all bolted up. My measurements of the "7" wheel base and track were pretty close to the TR so I'm really happy with the combination with the wheels bolted in place. The Ford 1700 cross flow is good but I plan to fit a V6 at some point as it will make the right noises !

Shots of the engine and the surplus fuel tank. A real shame I can't use the tank, its massive at around 37 gallons and built to Ferrari specifications, all hand crafted in aluminium. Its listed on ebay if anyone wants it but I've put a silly ( imo ) asking price just in case a genuine TR owner might want it as a spare !

Wow! Nice

Lucky - It sounds like your build is coming together really quickly.

And it is definitely going to look spectacular. :cool:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...6&d=1524080479

Good luck, Paul. :)

Thanks for posting the photo up Paul !

As builds go this is straight forward, you can put that down to the "7" being the right size and shape and planning everything in advance. The body has fitted in all the right places. The car will have a "short" driving position, the "7" has a laid back driving position, the TR is very upright. But having studied the original Testarossa that is what they were like back in the day.

Looks superb great work

any progress Lucky ?

Just got back from a trip to Italy so I'll be back on this week with any luck.
The plan is to get the front end off the chassis and start work on the scuttle and bonnet. That will be a few days work but once that is done I can fit it to the chassis with the required brackets and fixings as per the completed rear end assembly.

well your name is Lucky ..so you should be ok ...


looking forward to see how you get on with the bonnet etc. I am not very good with aluminium , don't have the patience or understanding of its properties to do much more than basic panels ..so tackling a concave panel with a wired edge etc would be a job too far for me ... That's why I give jobs like that to my aluminium man who has all the right gear to do the jobs ...

A bit of progress over the last few days. I've managed to remove the front end and make a start on the inner arches. These are quite complex as they form the inner and outer wings/arches and blend into one seamless section.

Also picked up an engine better suited than the Ford Kent engine. It might be missing a few cylinders but the Cologne V6 I found was supplied new by Ford and still in its crate! Its not a V12 but with the original ones changing hands at £75k plus for rebuild I was never going to get one.

The Cologne V6 can be made to sound right, that's the main aim and having fitted one once to a Cobra 289 replica I know they can go well too.

Updates and photos to follow !

V6 is a good choice ...

When you have finished the body, would it be worth taking a mould?
Would there be a market for a replica built on an old Locost?
Would do away with the IVA which is a big bonus.

You wouldn't be the first person to ask that question. I've had several pm's on the subject. I have no plans to do that.
The "7" has proved to be the ideal base car and there is no better alternative.

Some more progress with the mechanical bits. The Ford X Flow engine is out to make way for the Cologne V6. I've also had some laser cut flanges made for the exhaust boxes. A set of eight so I can make up four boxes the same size and shape as the original car.
The aluminium bodywork is on going.

Mmmn exclusivity is nice
Or
Do you want to go to a show and see your car copied ? It’s a toughie

I was hoping to be nearing completion by now but I've had a few set backs, work and home related ( non car related ). But, the old 1700 X Flow is sold. I've got the 4 exhaust silencer boxes made up ready to fit. The front body work is getting close but still needs more work ! Its all moving forward, slowly !

At last it looks like I can carry on with this project, I should have a clear run at it now right through to completion !
Progress over the summer has been really slow so I need to catch up, I'll be posting updates and photos every week, I hope.
I have fitted the Cologne V6 engine to the existing type 9 gearbox and fabricated new engine mounts. The thermostat housing clashed with a chassis member so I had to make up a 20mm spacer, other than that it went in ok.

I hope that some rapid progress on the car makes up for the other setbacks. Looking forward to the next instalment.

A little progress to report at last ! I've made a start on the scuttle panel which was missing from the body when I purchased it. A little involved as I've had to make a wooden former to get the double curved profile correct on the bonnet return edge/lip. This former has allowed me to shape and profile the aluminium panel, its worked out quite well.
I've also removed the original wiring loom. On inspection it was a bit of a compromised birds nest. It was going to need extending, chopping and modifying a fair bit anyway so I decided to start from scratch. The new loom is going to be very simple, even compared to the "7". There are no wipers, no washer bottle, no electric fuel pumps etc, this will be an ultra basic loom with just lights and a couple of instruments to worry about. The Ford column stalk controls are gone and simple switches will be fitted on the dash as per the original TR.