Wardy's A352
 

So, I'm under way with the build.
A pretty crusty Spitfire which was probably right on the cusp of being a scrapper is in the garage and being stripped. Lots of holes where there shouldn't be, and all in the bits I need to keep!
Welder out this weekend, along with blowtorch to remove way, way too much underseal (queue more holes) and then the angle grinder to put the car on a diet.
Hopefully the great and the good on this forum will look kindly upon me when I need information or advice, if not there's always booze.
Cheers.

Wardy50 – A belated welcome to the forum Steve. :cool:

Sorry, I meant to reply to your original post about an engine upgrade for your Spitfire.

I’ve got the 1500 engine in my kit car and that is quick enough for me.

Especially as the absence of any roll over protection discourages any real speed. :eek:

Good luck with your build, Paul. :)

PS

[Crocodile Dundee]

“That’s not a crusty bulkhead…

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1502356867

THIS is a crusty bulkhead!”

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Q...o/DSCF0116.JPG

[/Crocodile Dundee]

:icon_wink:

Hi Paul,
Thanks for the welcome.
I'll give you that one on the bulkhead rot, makes me feel slightly better about this weekends work schedule not being too bad !!
Probably going after a straight six Triumph motor to keep 'the feel' of the car, which will be badged as a Triumph when (if??) completed, but coupled to a five speed Ford type 9 to help with motorway and long distance cruising.
Long way top go though, and as always the biggest decision to make..............colour!!
Steve.
NB. How do you get the photo's into the main post and not as an attachment - am I missing something..........again...........

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING PROGRESS ON THIS ...The A352 is a pretty little car and a 6 cylinder one will be great ...they are lively with a 4 banger as well , but totally get the 6 cyl. exhaust tone preference ...straight 6 engines have a great sound ..

Watching with interest

Good luck



Crazy idea I had ....clear the floor out and use it as a mould and lay reinforced fibreglass on the floor pan sections ....remove once cured ..cut the rusty floor pans out and bond in the fibreglass items .

Would this work???? Food for thought

Great to see you've started on it :)

My donor Spitfire came with brand new wheels, tyres & Triumph wheel centres, so I used them on my build.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YQ...Q=w649-h865-no

Although I’ve always like the idea of using a big Triumph motorcycle sticker too. :cool:

http://www.signsbypost.com/sites/def...DECAL-2068.jpg

You need to add [img] and [/img] either side of the photo’s ‘code’.

I’ve just added some spaces to the following code of one of your photos so you can see what I’m doing.

When you click on the attachment, this is the code:

http: //www.madabout-kitcars.com /forum/ attachment.php?attachmentid=4529&d=1502356867

Add the img code, again with extra spaces added.

[ img ] http: //www.madabout-kitcars.com /forum/ attachment.php?attachmentid=4529&d=1502356867 [/ img ]

Then when you remove the spaces you get this.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...9&d=1502356867

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers, Paul. :)

PS
If you use the "Quote" button you can see the detail of the photo as it appears.

Good afternoon all,
So an update since the last post, seems painfully slow but progress all the same.
Body repairs complete for now including new inner and outer sills and strengthening plates (strengthening plates all but gone).
New lower A & B posts on both sides (originals had vanished to the same place as the sills).
Complete new floor pans both sides.
Heelboard repairs particularly around the trailing arm support sections.
Boot floor repairs to retained section.
Both bulkheads repaired with new lower sections, battery box and master cylinder 'shelf'.
Body treated with rustcure, then primed and then waxoyled and undersealed.
Left the rear inner arch repairs at the moment as I'm not sure until the bodies on how much is retained.
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1507208034
Body now propped up at the back of the garage and the chassis is being stripped down as we speak.
Six cylinder sourced and over to engine builders (car SOS's guys) for start early in November (I hope).
Ford type 9 gearbox sourced and built with longer first gear.
Conversion kit for the gearbox sourced and ready with uprated clutch and reduced propshaft.
Necessary other bits for the engine conversion of GT6 front turrets and mounts, GT6 alloy bellhousing c/w clutch fork / bearing and GT6 cut away sump all sourced.
New Gaz front and rear adjustable dampers on the way - fronts height adjustable.
On the lookout for triple 40 webers and six cylinder inlet manifold if anyone has any leads on that.
Pictures of the chassis progress to follow if I haven't died from rust inhalation by then or bored everyone to death with this post!!
Cheers
Steve.

Not Tim, I hope.

Wardy50 – Hi Steve,

Sounds like you have done a lot of work. :cool:

Unfortunately, I just see an “X” instead of a photo in your last post.

Good luck, Paul. :)

Hi Paul,
Yes, despite your best efforts and description previously, my photo posting skills seem to be lacking. It did appear in the text for a while and then vanished like cash into a kit car project, never to be seen again.
Cheers
Steve.

Slow progress
 

Good afternoon all.
Not much time of late due to work, but things have progressed a bit. Chassis is rubbed down for powder coating, and lots and lots of repairs made, not least the diff carrier and suspension mounts at the rear. Had to fabricate these from scratch as they are no longer made.

[img] http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592 [/img]

[img] http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592 [/img]

Next job is to rub down the all other chassis and suspension components to go off with the chassis to be coated, and try and remove the rear hubs from the driveshafts which are proving resistant.

Looking forward to getting the 'dirty' work out of the way, and bolting a few bits together.

NB. My body is finished and ready for collection so Dan tells me, so looking forward to picking that up in the near future !

[img] http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592 [/img]

Cheers
Steve.

You don’t need the [url] tags Steve - just the [img] tags.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1512395592

Hi Jim, thanks for that ! Don't know where the hell the [url] tags came from?? One day I might get it............maybe.............possibly.......... .

Blind. moi?
 

Cheers Mick, very kind.
The builds a bit frustrating at the moment as it's all chopping, grinding and welding which seems to have gone on forever. I guess it's the trade off of buying a cheap donor on the verge of the scrap heap against a partial restoration.
An initial pointer you may be able to help with would be ride height. I'll have height adjustables on the front, but what sort of lowering did you do at the rear of the car?? Dan at No7 mentioned a 40mm drop - do you agree??
I'll have a trawl back through your posts now and see what sort of fun and games are in store!!
Cheers
Steve

Ride Height
 

Ride height
 

Looking at your thread, the photo's of your car look extremely good. You must be very pleased with the result!
From the ride height perspective the rears actually look fine as standard, with the tyres being slightly into the bodywork so no arch gap, which is what I personally don't like. I need to take into account the rolling diameter though, as mine will be 14s off an MGB.
Steve.

Steve - Great repair work on the frame. :cool:

That definitely meets the definition of crusty! :icon_wink:

Good luck, Paul. :)

chassis is looking much better :)