Coming along very nicely!

Starting point for the front
 

Here are some beginning shots of panels for the front buck. Still a fair way to go, but the journey has begun. Waiting to hear on progress of the 275 roof.

Mondeo grill
http://i64.tinypic.com/2mcjfck.jpg

On top
http://i67.tinypic.com/2s79dao.jpg

Recessed, definitely recessed, bear in mind I am intending to get the first convertible!
You lose the Aston look with the "on top" option

Looks like some great progress.

Could we have vents under the grill similar to the silver Evanta pictured earlier in the thread?

One of my few dislike on the 250swb is the fact that the front panel would look better if it was deeper. By adding the vents you could make the front panel a few inches deeper.
You could use the two front ducts from the 250 and would only need to do the centre vent and make the lower section a bit deeper.
10 minutes work for Chris:sorry:

There will be vents of some kind below the grill, possibly 3. My preference is for recessed also.

Has to be recessed. The first shot is just a mondeo grille tacked on, the second is properly integrated

Exciting stuff Barber, each piece getting closer. A big fan of the Zagato front end so that face needs to be right. But it looks like you are heading in the right direction.
I’ll update as soon as I have more on the roofline, but Chris and Dan are getting closer, a bit more progress has been made from the last pictures seen and they have sorted how the window infill/mouldings will work so just need to execute that and all should be good.

I'm sure that the 'On top' photo is just to show the size of the Mondeo grille compared to the size of the bonnet opening.

Either way, the mouth opening and recessed grille do shout Aston. :cool:

Good luck, Paul. :)

Great news Welshkiwi.

I have been working my way through the fuse checks to see what is causing the draw. No progress during the cold snowy weather, and up to Fuse 31. They are fiddly little blighters, even with the extractor tool.

As I am using one of these:
http://i67.tinypic.com/2jfeqdh.jpg

there are two insertions and two extractions for each fuse. And due to the position of the fuses near the bulkhead, you tend to stand a bit too close and have to lean backwards.

However, now that the battery is charged up, the solar charger on the dashboard that IanA recommended seems to be doing the job. I have also bee taking the car out for a 10 mile trip every 5 or 6 days just to make sure that it starts and goes.

The fuel gauge warning beeps and the light comes on when ignition is switched on. Internet advice is to put some fuel cleaner in the tank a few times and see if it frees up the sensor mechanism. I had let the fuel get very low, so it is possible it is gunked up. We shall see. Otherwise it will be a sensor replacement.

The car drives noticeably but not unpleasantly firmer on the coil overs, so that is a relief. I really only got them to accommodate the wider wheels on the front and to allow height adjustment once the new panels are fitted. I got AP coil overs, and was advised by a mechanic (after purchase) that they are prone to knocking in the Z3 mounts. Luckily, that has not happened either.

Edit. Now checked fuses up to 46. The only draw is on the alarm / door lock remote circuit, so nothing is out of wack so far. I think there are some under the dashboard to try, and also there is a possibility of a sticky relay switch. I'll just have to keep plodding on.

Paul,

You are right, it has similarities with AM, but we are not trying to replicate it. The grill on top, was a possibility if it looked half decent, but Chris was really showing how the Mondeo grill was a good fit. The Fiesta has a nicer, better proportioned grill, but is was not wide enough. However, recessing the grill disguises some of the Mondeo grill shortcomings. We'll have to see what Chris does with it depth-wise once the vents are placed underneath. we should probably take some account of kerb clearance, I have done plenty of concrete scraping with other cars.

PS Good to see the photos of your rolling chassis again, it is a cracking job.

Interesting device- I have fitted a battery isolation switch in the boot so just loosen that and link a meter across the terminals. The leads are long enough for it to sit on the roof in plain view whilst pulling each fuse in turn.
I'm looking forward to replacing my seats- I think that my earthing/drain problems are due to dampness around the crash sensor module on the passenger side floor.

I am waiting for the weather to cheer up before using a multimeter to check the source of battery draw in the Range Rover.

There are 65 to check in the front fuse box plus a separate fuse box in the boot that I spotted the other day.

I read somewhere that it was a bad idea to simply pull the fuses on anything vaguely modern as there are lots of interrelated electronic bits sitting on different circuits. Things like the door shut affects the interior light and also the alarm and radio. If you pull the fuse on one it might temporarily fix the issue on the related circuit so it doesn't show when tested.

This guy explains it better and shows how to do it better https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRcj1fQcWwU

A Ford grille is surely the way to go (avoiding any upsets with AM!) - could Ford get upset? I doubt it because the rest of the car doesn't shout Ford, but where is the line crossed? I would have thought most manufacturers could point the finger at another manufacturer's 'copy' as there are many similarities. A great earner for the 'designer' I'm sure, just make something that's liked, and with a few tweeks sell it to many! Wish I had the artistic eye :dizzy:

You'll have no issues with Ford. There have been several dozen accurate replica's done without any interference.

Clearly you have observed Pininfarina and Zagato.

edit. a bit like the Billy Connolly joke about Mexican Food. Same dish rolled different ways.

IanA,
Interesting about your suggested cause of drain. When I had the leak from the lower part of the windscreen, it all tipped out into the passenger footwell and it was very soggy down there. Hmmmm.

Dashboard Buck Progress
 

Coming along nicely
http://i67.tinypic.com/2i1ksbt.jpg

That would look nice with a set of Lockwood ivory dials that Eric used.

That is really nice! Is that the Z3 binnacle fitted?

Z3 Binacle
 

Yes, I wanted to keep it relatively simple. I might consider re-facing the instruments based on some threads from a couple of years ago. me and electrickery do not get along generally.

Electrickery is not my best suit either. That would be a great alternative for the 250 SWB also.