Thanks Paul, hadn't seen it but it's very nice indeed.

Couple of little jobs to finish to get the Midget fully roadworthy - new shocks, oil change and recondition/balance the propshaft (I've outsourced that job) - then I can get on with my own Outlaw build.

So, no updates for a while as the very nice summer whizzed by and now it's nearly 2019.

Yesterday was the Brass Monkeys run from Brandon (Suffolk), through Swaffham and on to Wells Next The Sea (both Norfolk). I'd have loved to have been driving my Speedster (fingers crossed for next year) but had to settle for 'Iris', my '73 MG Midget, which you can see here sandwiched between a Rover P6 and 50's DeSoto -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps60z1sg2m.jpg

The event is a very casual affair and attracts a wide selection of British classics, customs, rat-rods, US classic Muscle Cars and modern exotics.
Indeed, I followed a newish Lotus Elise with a registration ending 10TUS down to Brandon, easily keeping pace with it right up until the 40mph zone we were in ended, when it went off like a scalded cat while making a very agreeable noise in the process.

Among all the customs attending, this truck stood out for me for its elegant simplicity -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pssawarqqx.jpg

And just to show that the North Norfolk coast is a mecca for classic car enthusiasts, this Bristol Zagato wasn't actually part of the procession, it just happened to be parked outside a chip shop in Wells -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psvsb7bkgu.jpg

I have a few jobs to do to make Iris perfect - finish the hard top, a couple of oil seals to replace and a little attention to the paint, then I'll be getting on with my Speedster (finally).

Happy New year to all classic and kit-car nuts, and I'm hoping to see a lot more cars finished and on the road in 2019, including mine.

Just a little more work needed on the Bermuda style hardtop before it's ready for paint, and it does look as if it's going to fit well enough -

https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums...psuyykkgad.jpg

Then I'll be able to start making use of the Outlaw Speedster parts that I've been gathering over the last six months or so, including:

...suitable seats -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pspldykjdi.jpg

...a 550 Spyder moulded flyscreen -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psizq5gocx.jpg

...and dash -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psh9x7gxtn.jpg

...a pair of Marchal fog lamps -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psow0jzuvx.jpg

...and a pair of genuine Porsche European spec headlamps -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8xxc500s.jpg

More updates next year.

Looking forward to the speedster updates mr T.

What colour will the hardtop be on the midget?

Funnily enough, I'm looking forward to the Speedster updates too.

Midget hardtop is going to be RAL 5011 Steel Blue, which is a very, very dark blue. Should contrast nicely with the Iris blue body. The perspex rear window and roof lights are also blue tinted so it should all gel together nicely.

Hi Mr.T,
Looking good so far. The body seem to be of a very good quality and shortening the wheel base was very straight forward. I am curious how you are going to mod the doors. I always liked the look of a Speedster and I wish you a good luck with the build. Looking forward to see the updates next year. Thank you for your advice and support with my build too and Happy New Year.

Regards, Deni

Hi Deni, once I've mounted the body onto the chassis via a steel subframe I'm in the process of fabricating and centred the wheels in the arches, I'll take a section out of the centre of each door.

I'll then 'glass them back together with the halves mounted in the door openings to make sure they'll fit. I'm also toying with the idea of bracing them internally with aluminium sheet, both for strength and so it looks like an alloy body if you look inside the doors.

I'm aiming to create 550 style interior door panels which have large elongated holes to give access to the simple door 'pulls' and will also allow a pretty unobstructed view of the inside structure of the doors.

https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums...psdpziqiwu.jpg

Target is 'on the road' for Goodwood in September, so I'd better crack on with it!

Mister Towed – Great to see an update on your thread. :cool:

Although there is something funny going on with your most recent photos?

As they appear properly sometimes and then other times they are missing or a “X”.

I am sure all the lessons you learned during your Spyder build will serve you well in 2019.

Good luck, Paul. :)

I'm playing catchup on this thread/build, but i'm liking the way it's coming along!

Can i also spot some new toys since the Sammio build? i.e. the Clarke load leveling hoisty thingy (i think that's it proper name? :) )

Hi Paul & Dave. Still using Photo$ucket for pics so it's a bit hit and miss, I can't see the image of the Marchal lamps or the 550 screen myself today but they were definitely there yesterday.

I bought the load leveller thingy hoist to help get the engine out of the Midget as it doesn't have the luxury of a flip front like my Spyder did. I'm still toying with the idea of making the Speedster flip front, but the bonnet opening is actually very large so I might just leave it as Porsche intended.

Made a start on the doors today. Here's the problem, they're now about four inches too long -

https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums...psfc6zurfx.jpg

Bit of measuring and marking up with parcel tape -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...pslirkqc2u.jpg

Chop, chop with the old angle grinder -

https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums...psveyyniv1.jpg

Then use some of the cut out section to line up the two halves -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9kpu15ul.jpg

Once I'd lined the halves up in the door opening I stuck the two halves together with bonding paste, 'glassing the inside for extra strength -

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psk07ziohe.jpg

And there you have it, one shortened door -

https://i1186.photobucket.com/albums...pswu7retud.jpg

There's a bit of work needed to get the panel gaps looking their best, but they're not too bad as it is.

Got to love fearless angle grinding on a build. :cool:

Wow, that looks great Mr.T. It's been a while you've done this door mod and I am looking forward to your following posts. I hope the build is going well.

Cheers, Deni.

Picture 2, is that the same angle grinder that Mouller used to cut his door handles with?:biggrin1:

A 9” is a little overkill

No his "friends" did that with a chainsaw!!!!

Actually, I did that. My "friends" bonded the door skins on and I had to move the handles as they were too low to open the doors. They also did not fit the window frames (work in progress to address that one). Not to mention the pillar trims bonded crooked. I do have replacements (thanks Chris) and the originals are now off the car.

Sorry for the thread drift guy's...

For your viewing pleasure...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVXlN1AG064

Thanks for posting Paul, fantastic video!

Terrific, love those seats. Need to be getting on with mine, really...

[Tapping fingers impatiently on table]

And do you have any progress to report?

[/Tapping fingers]

:icon_wink:

...only on the Midget, I'm afraid. I bought it a year ago as a summer runaround while I finished my Speedster and it's turned into a full on running restoration.

It's now mechanically perfect but I'm currently stripping it down for a full respray. Once that's done then I can get on with the Speedster.

Really sorry for the delay, note to self - don't buy another project until you've finished the last one. :(

No worries mate.

I am sure the extra practise you get spraying the Midget will help you get a nice finish on the Speedster. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

I know it is another hard top, but...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erkdc7Q7ASM

:cool:

Hi Paul, thanks for sharing that, I'm always looking to pinch ideas from pro builders :)

That car isn't my favourite outlaw as it's a little overdone imho. I much prefer the silver Coupe with the 'holed' wheels in the background in one of the scenes.

Work started on my Speedster again yesterday after a year spent fettling my MG Midget, so I hope to post some progress reports soon.

Just trying a different image hosting service as photobucket don't seem to want me to share any pictures even though I've reduced my stored images to below their 'free' limit :(

Anyway, here goes...

https://ibb.co/rMyGK97

Doh!

Try again.

https://i.ibb.co/jG4v9t6/IMG-20191110-154718149.jpg

Ahh, there we go, BBCode Full works on IMGBB.

Been a while since I posted any updates as I hadn't got round to finding a new image hosting site.

I've been making some progress recently, anyone who's familiar with my front engined speedster project will notice that the chassis is now wearing wide-five bolt early steel wheels (4"x15") on adaptors, and that I've cut the bonnet off.

https://i.ibb.co/jG4v9t6/IMG-20191110-154718149.jpg

Although I really liked the MGF 'square peg' alloys, ultimately I felt that they just looked too modern, even for an Outlaw style Speedster.

The bonnet 'mod' is down to me living with an MG Midget for eighteen months and really missing the easy access to engine and suspension components that the flip front on my Spyder allowed. So, my Speedster will have an opening front bonnet for oil and coolant checks and the whole front will flip forward for everything else.

With the front end separated from the body, I've also let a pair of MGF cooling vents into the front and trial fitted the lights -

https://i.ibb.co/BsnPPnb/lights-resize-50.jpg

I have a pair of Marchal fog lights that I might fit inboard of the air intakes, it just depends on whether I like the look or not when I trial fit them.

Another change since I last posted is that I've moved the engine back in the chassis by 80mm so that the front carb clears the underside of the bonnet. That was achieved by fabricating a pair of engine mounts to take MG Midget rubber mounts and using an overdrive prop on a non-overdrive box -

https://i.ibb.co/3dfwGLV/mount-left-2.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/fFvHvHH/mount-right.jpg

80mm is as far back as it can go without having to use a different exhaust due the 4-2-1 stainless system fouling the chassis.

The result is quite pleasing, allowing about 10mm clearance for the rear dash-pot and giving a fair bit more space ahead of the engine for a radiator. It also moves the whole engine behind the front axle line making it effectively (front) mid-engined.

https://i.ibb.co/k0pLRG2/front-resized.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/zhBY1H0/bonnet-resized.jpg

I'm hoping to get the lower section of the frame welded together during the Christmas break so I can mount the body, start fabricating the floors and look at fitting the doors.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Oh dear, not sure why some of the pics are huge. Will have to look into that.

Nice to see you have made progress

The wheels are much more in keeping with the car

Seconded on the wheels , you've use the 65/66 Beetle wheel with the slots too ...good choice .
Moving the engine back is a wise move too ...As you know I do it on most of my builds as well.....makes a lot of sense . Good to see some progress ...

Thanks guys, I'm aiming to be on the road for Goodwood next September, which I don't think is unrealistic now I've (mostly) finished the Midget. I just need to get on with it.

The MGF alloys kept nagging at me every time I went into the garage so I'd occasionally look for wide fives on ebay. Originals often crop up in ones and twos in varying condition, and while reproduction ones are available, I really wanted an early matching set in the slotted style.

So, when a full set of five 4x15's that had been blasted and painted OEW came up locally for a starting bid of just £50 I pounced and won them as the only bidder.

I already had a set of Triumph to 4x100 adaptors on the shelf and the 4x100 to 5x205 adaptors were £25 each from Limebug. The adaptors widen the wheelbase by a total of 100mm, which is around 40mm less than splined adaptors for MGB wheels did on my Spyder. I'd already replaced the spindly Triumph wheel studs with Land Rover Freelander ones - they're a straight swap - so I've no concerns over the adaptors failing in use as the LR studs are made to cope with a vehicle four times the weight of my Speedster.

When looking at tyres I was tempted by 155/8015 Vredestein Sprint Classics, but settled on 165/65/15 Uniroyal RainExperts which are half the price at £200 for five, and I know grip like limpets on the road as I had a set on my Spyder.

They also fit without fouling anything while the Vredesteins would've been marginal as their sidewalls are 16.7mm taller and there's only around 17mm clearance on the Uniroyals.

Anyway, if anyone wants a set of five MGF square peg alloys complete with wheel bolts and centre caps and fitted with new 175/65/15 tyres for £100 (collect from Downham Market, Norfolk), PM me and they're yours. (more pics on the 'for sale' thread).

https://i.ibb.co/71YD6jJ/chassis.jpg


Anyway, Merry Christmas to one and all!

Although I am using different tyre sizes, I now only buy the Uniroyal rain masters, quality tyres at a reasonable price but the main reason is you can get them 149mph rated. Most 15" higher profile tyres are for vans and are normally 98 or 118mph rated which will invalidate your insurance if fitted to a Z3.

I've used Radar Dimex Classic tyres. They are VR rated and available in all the typical high profile sizes including 15" options. They are budget tyres, I was a little dubious at first but they appear to be good quality, time will tell how they handle and last.

If I've read that right , you've bolted adaptors to adaptors ...I'd be wary of that ...I'd want to make the two adaptors one unit by welding together or something ...that's a lot of bolted parts between wheel and hub to come loose ...... Just my opinion ion of course but I would be happier with one larger adaptor than two separate ...

Sound advice, and if both sets of adaptors were steel I'd definitely weld them together and have them balanced, but one set is steel and the other aluminium.

To make sure everything will be safe I've fitted Land Rover Freelander studs to the hubs, which, being much heavier duty than the spindly Triumph ones will easily take the additional strain.

Additionally, the Limebug adaptors are very thin at just 8mm, so there's very little extra 'leverage' to cause problems. https://www.limebug.com/product/view...drums-only-945

As for having two sets of nuts and bolts to connect the rim to the hub, from an engineering perspective that's really no different to fitting split-rim wheels, which are bolted together with much lighter duty fasteners than I'm using.

All the bolts, locknuts and studs are new and will be assembled with a drop of loctite, so I'm confident that nothing will break or rattle loose. The inner adaptors are also wide enough to ensure that the Limebug ones don't foul the brake calipers like they would on a Bug axle.

The wheel bearings will obviously be taking more strain, but that will be a fair bit less than on my Sammio as the engine is a third lighter and the wheels aren't pushed out as far from the hubs as the MGB wires were with splined adaptors fitted, and I never had a problem with bearing failure on that.

Overall, I'd say that there's less risk running these adaptors than there would be from using second-hand splined wires. After all, if the splines fail you completely lose all braking on that wheel, while it's not unknown for the spokes to collapse during 'spirited' cornering which is likely to cause the car to flip.

And finally, the wide fives just look so cool I don't want to fit anything else...

looking good!!