+1

But, as always, I am looking forward to seeing how you do it.

Will there be enough room for the bonnet to eventually sit over the engine/radiator without the need for a scoop/bulge/opening?

Good luck, Paul. :)

THANKS ROADSTER ...It is a lot of work , yes , but Glan is a definitely the right man to turn my rambling into reality ...I am so pleased with his work so far ..its absolutely skinting me out ..but the end results will be well worth it ...
Prettier than the Spyder ? Well , equally as pretty , maybe !!! ......I love the S*mmio , for obvious reasons , despite being estranged nowadays ....The Formosa 120 GR ( final name ) will be a different car to the S*mmio range ...same concept , but doors , bootlid , flowcoated bodyshells with minimal bodywork required with exposed tig welded tube internal framework , set back engine etc.... A higher spec , higher priced option ......

PAUL....There may well be yes , not sure what we are doing in the middle yet , but the engines are being set back 8'' , so this goes a long way to sorting clearance issues out anyway ...

Picking up on something you said earlier ...With our cockpit liner , exposed frame , including inner wings and radiator mounts hopefully .. body with minimal prep required ..the task of moving the engine back is greatly offset by the hundreds of hours less involved in body prep and interior work etc....thats the plan anyway ...

Monday I am driving to Southampton to see my mate who I have known for 15 years and we have been involved in projects before ..he runs a business doing custom tubework , Sand Rails , off Road cages etc amongst other stuff including some film work recently ......He is going to be making the internal frames for me as soon as we can get an outer skin body up to him sat on a chassis ....All framework including the rear section with tank mounts and the cowl section for column mount etc. will be tube , even if out of sight ...

Sounds like a good plan to me. :cool:

I am sure that if the first builders find everything works "out of the box" it will encourage more sales.

Same thing goes for the framework, which sounds like it will be a big improvement over the Cordite too.

If you can keep the quality high, I am sure this car will do well.

Cheers, Paul. :)

All sounding and looking very promising Gary.

Mind you, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the original Spyder. When you look at the price to quality ratio they were outstanding value for money - my whole car cost less to complete than any of the current 356 Speedster kit producers charge for just a bare body.

Okay, so the body and frame both needed a bit of fettling to fit, but nothing that was particularly onerous and most of it was due to wanting to modify things rather than needing to.

Oh, and mine passed its fourth MOT this afternoon with no advisories. :)

Anyway, following this with interest so keep up the good work!

I agree Towed ...Thank you . I am just highlighting the fact that the Formosa 120 GR will be a higher quality kit compared to the cheaper S*mmio offering ...absolutely nothing wrong with the S*mmio ..its just a cheaper option with more work needed ...that suits some builders , especially , like yourself , who have put their own mark on the car , dash etc for instance ...that was the original concept with that car ..The Formosa will still be a flexible build for someone wanting to attach their own identity to the car , but if its a straightforward build the buyer wants , hopefully , we are making it a little easier ...but ease of build will come with a slightly higher price tag .....I feel there is very much still a market for S*mmio bodies as there are lots of enthusiastic wannabee builders with limited budgets ..exactly the situation I was in 7 years ago and why the car was created .....
Although my package will be 3 x the original S*mmio priced offering , it is a complete bodyshell ,complete interior liner and a tig welded tube frame ...so still value for money when compared with other retro offerings on the scene currently ...

At a guess I would say it's this guy and it looks like he knows his way around a bit of tubing ha ha

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VW-sand-ra...3D262735171143

YEP ..THAT'S HIM ...Mark ...

I spent an hour at his place today and , as luck would have it , he has a Vitesse in the corner ...a few sketches , ideas thrown about etc. and we are good to go ...

Framework is going to be a one piece item incorporating rear frame behind the rear bulkhead that will incorporate the fuel tank mount and bracketry to accept a spare wheel , that will be accessed through the boot aperture...as we travel forward the exposed side rails will locate the body around the doorshuts and be bolted through the chassis using existing bodymount points ( similar to a S*mmio ) , the front section will pick up on the door hinge mounting points and be tied side to side with a tube section running behind the dash including the new steering column mount as well .....The change we have made to my original idea I had was Mark is going to make steel dropped floorpans tied together with a prop tunnel and this will be welded to the framework too.....making handbrake fitting easier too ..

So you will be sat on a steel floor , inside a steel cage.

The only seperate sections are the new tubular inner wings to replace the tin ones and these will have radiator mountings included too ...

So its going to be a very comprehensive frame , that once fitted and the body is fully bolted and bonded to it and the bulkhead in place will become virtually a completely enclosed bodyshell...

Looking very good!

Coming along nicely, good work.

Gary - As always, looking forward to seeing how you will do this.

Will the aero humps be a 'fixed' part of the final body work, or an 'optional extra'?

Despite the shed load of extra work it would involve, I'd love to see a boot that opened like this. :cool:

http://www.diecast.org/data/sac_cars/cmc066_2.jpg

Good luck, Paul. :)

SOME GOOD PROGRESS MADE TODAY....

Glan has been making templates to check symmetry as he progresses ...

This one was cut to check the door curve as it rolls into the rear cockpit ...

http://i65.tinypic.com/nbtdgo.jpg

This picture of the template transferred to the other side about halfway through the door mods gives you an idea how much they are being altered ...

http://i64.tinypic.com/9lgwid.jpg

Another slice styled template is being used to get the door curvature and top lip matching ....

http://i65.tinypic.com/2645bmp.jpg

The final picture today shows the raised lip around the cockpit area ...we were going to offer the headrest as a separate panel but , it was getting complicated trying to make a nice solution to a finished edge around the cockpit with optional headrest and I wasn't happy about it looking too heavy as a separate panel as you need to lay up glass thicker than if the item was made in aluminium or similar , so the flange around the base was going to be too chunky for my liking ..... so its been made a permanent fixture ...the shadow on the picture makes the lip look heavier than it is , its about 5-6mm in reality.. The gap in the lip where it joins the dash area is to accommodate a screen post eventually ...

http://i64.tinypic.com/2mr5js7.jpg

If we can keep up the pace we are running at so far ....it's hitting me hard in the pocket !! ..we are hoping to start the bonnet on Monday , allowing a couple of weeks for the major changes I want to incorporate ...with a view to getting some of the high build primer on it by the end of January and starting the mould process first week of february or thereabouts ......

Symmetry you say? Tis witchcraft I tell you!

It's massively overrated. .detarrevo ylevassim s'tI.

Lol

Ha ha, I remember those rock'n'roll mind control lyrics conspiracy theories - to Mr Square in the 60's anything by The Beatles played backwards sounded like !nataS evol ew ,sey hO

A quick google threw up that modern musicians are still trying to turn young people to the dark side with their subversive subtexts...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaMJaE5zij4

It doesnt qualify for a photograph , but Glan spent all of yesterday correcting a 5-10mm irregularity along the drivers sill area ...

Its put us a day behind where I was hoping we were going to end the year ....but it was the right thing to do ... that's another tin of filler hits the dust !! lost count a little bit but I think we are around abouts the 14th tin !!

I'm looking forward to this week coming as the bonnet will join the game !!
We need to create the bonnet shut ledge along the bulkheads width on Monday ..cutting up an old Cordite bulkhead to do that ....and , hopefully , Tuesday should see the first instalment in creating the new face ...

Looking forward to seeing the evolution process, so here's some inspiration -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps97a4c16c.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8ghu7pdy.jpg

Gary - I know there is a financial price to pay for getting this right, but it should be a price worth paying in the long run.

Good luck, Paul. :)

Towed ...Thank you ...I have a hint of Maserati entering the styling but I want skinnier front wings and an uprighted grill ...I am looking at 56 Ferrari 500 TR and the same year 290 MM at the moment for my inspiration ..or thereabouts ...no replica's here !!..I have 'borrowed' features from many mid 50's styled cars for the build ...a similar approach to the S*mmio ...You can see aspects of several cars in those little beauties ...they are kind of whatever you want them to be from that early 50's era ...

Paul ...I know , you are right ..I have to admit , it is a bit of a risk I'm taking ..a calculated risk to some degree ..but I have definitely got just the one basket full of eggs at the moment and am being stretched more than the super size , extra stretchy Stretch Armstrong , financially , right now !!

But I am feeling very good about the way the little 120 GR is shaping up ..