bit of progress hit the local old fashioned iron mongers in search of door hinges and found so that with a bit of work made puka job of it . top tip you can not see were to mark the bolt holes when the door is on so use some clay or putty to leave a mark to drill. I am leaving the final tweaking till its sat on a chassis
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bonnet hinges welded in place and reshaping around the front end coming together the bonnet now sits about 1" higher than before

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not so happy with the seats I bought for the other car they look brill but have got to be the most uncomfortable seat I have ever sat in. So fiberglass out time to make some seats this is the inside view of the seat I have made ,tomorrow I will try it out making a copy right side out

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made me some seat shells two for the speedster and one for the other tribute build I am working on. gel coats a bit thin but they are getting covered so hay oh
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my chassis will be here Saturday along with the wheels so looking forward to build the frame up next week and getting it on wheels whoop whoop

picked my chassis up the morning that can only mean its chassis build time lol 60mm box section think that should be enough

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test fit the car tomorrow going to hang the inner frame I made under the chassis rails I've just fitted. hoping that should be about right for looks and ground clearances

Looking good!

Wow, great progress again, proper Hare and Tortoise stuff when compared to my build.

I suspect you've already thought this through, but have you worked out where your seats are going to sit (no pun intended) yet? I only ask because to get mine in the right place and at the right height, their front edges will be exactly where your centre outriggers are at the moment.

If you look at both real and replica 356 Speedsters, the top of the seat squab is pretty much level with the bottom edge of the doors, so they're set quite low in the car. They're quite a bit higher up in a coupe - and bigger seats too, but they have a much taller windscreen for the driver to look through.

thanks Mister Towed work will come to a stop soon my caravans opening so gone fishing will be on the garage door lol. Must admit no I have not got as far as were to put the seats made the seats tho so that's a start . I've got some 3mm ish fiberglass flooring sheets that come off the fire escape that I made the frame from. so that,s going to be the car floor been fiberglass it will tie into everything with a bit of work. Once that's in I can work on seat frames. windscreens on order along with a list as long as your arm coming from Vintage in the states just about got over the shock off cost:usa2:

Huston we have a car on wheels hanging the frame from the underside of the chassis worked a treat I just need to nip the ends off the steel work job for tomorrow. The front of the chassis tucked tight into the front of the body allowing me to glass it in so it dose not move. I extended the rear chassis all the way to the body and run a length of box across the rear end. this gives me support for the boot floor but more so to give us some protection from the rear end also glassed it to the body. headlight buckets hit the crash rail on the chassis so going to have to trim the last 2" off both ends to fit the lights. relay need to find a mx5 so I can work out the inner working seat pedals etc but the boot can all go in now.
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The door gaps look better now the body has support at both ends as well as the middle. The bonnet fits and looks so much better now I have lifted and brought the front out a little . I think its a bit to flat across the back of the seats so need to have a good look at some picture see is I need to raise it a little. should be seeing some primmer soon whoop whoop
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did the google bit and found the external dimensions of an mx 5 engine 600mm high from bottom of the sump too the oil filler cap. that should just hang passed the cross member by about 2" and clear the bonnet. the new wheels lift the car by a good 3" so the should cover the low sump. not sure about how the gearbox will fit tho but I should have the mx here by the end of the week so we will no if I need to get the grinder out again. today's works start on the floor I recessed the seat bit 60mm at the back but even before with the seat on a flat floor it was good for seeing over the bonnet and head height.

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I like your recessed floors. I'm going to recess the front pans rather more than the rear to accommodate my floor mounted pedals, which will also give me a bit more legroom than I'd otherwise have.

I can now also see how you'll be able to fit your seats with your centre outrigger where it is. on my shell, the rear 4" of the space you have your seats in is occupied by the front edge of the rear seat/luggage area, which is shaped to give that part of the shell some strength. Hopefully you can just about see what I mean in this pic -

https://i.ibb.co/MR77RzR/IMG-20200510-143355505.jpg

The good thing for you, of course, is that you have a blank canvas so you can shape the structure inside and out to fit around what you want under it, while I somehow have to fit the parts I want into the existing shell. I did toy with the idea of putting a straight six up front but it'd have intruded too far into the cockpit once it was moved back far enough to clear the bonnet at the front.

I'll measure my engine later to see how it compares with the Mazdo motor, but I'm sure you'll get it to fit somehow.

Anyway, haven't you got some fishing to do? I think maybe you could do with some rest and relaxation, it's nothing to do with you showing me up by racing forward with a similar project to the one I've had sat in my garage for nearly four years. No, honestly...

lol yep going fishing this weekend so will not be on the cars. I looked at the floor pans and thought maybe I should lower the front too. But that's an easy alteration to do when they are fixed at the mo I can lift them out until I know what pedals I am using they can stay as is. I looked at beetle pedals but the driving position is much higher . pedal boxes are very expensive for what they are. I picked up a good 1600cc mk1 mx5 so weather and delivery permitting I will be shoehorning the engine in before fishing wish me luck

Not sure if you need it for shoehorning in the engine or for the fishing, but Good Luck anyway!

Good luck!

Just for reference, my Triumph engine is 560mm tall from the bottom of the sump to the top of the rocker cover, while the top of the rocker cover is 510mm above the top of the chassis, measured from the side rails just behind the front suspension turrets.

##

what's 40mm between friends car should be here for 1ish tomorrow if the weather holds out it will be out the car quicker than I can fit it.I will at least be able to say yes or know to it fitting without making changes to the body

quick update we have an engine what a bugger to get in fouled on everything but its in and sat on engine mounts. Need to refit the alternator it will need ether a belt tensioner at the other side or fab a new bracket. more to follow latter
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Looks to be a good fit, should give it some serious go.

whoop whoop look what's just arrived for the US of A . we now have door handles lights hinges badges bonnet handle and a complete windshield frame. dose not look a lot for a grand still arrived in less than a week. need to by a screen now so I can set the frame to it and finish the dash.more spending oh and a petrol tank the mx5 one is bloody massive lol takes up most of the boot .
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bit of progress this week foot pedals fitted, I've cut some steel plate out with the plasma cutter to hold everything in place welded some 30mm box section to it and in turn welded that to the chassis then fibreglass it in so its going nowhere. when the engine is next out I will glass it in from the back and make everything pretty on the engine fire wall side. after setting the pedals I dint like the foot potions so I have also sloped the floor off in the foot well that works better. also fitted the handbrake and steering column.back of the passenger fire wall has loads of room none at all on drivers side so I will make up a shelf for the battery etc. need to find a petrol tank so I can Finnish the boot off. next weeks job after fishing weekend.


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Looking more complete every time. :cool:

finally got a petrol tank so set about making a cradle to hold it in while trying to keep it low in the boot. the boot is a good size in these because it should be the engine and I want to keep as much of it as possible.
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Now the tank is in I can start forming the boot floor and walls, from the inside its starting to look like a car.

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made a center tunnel to cover the gearbox and split it so it easily comes out easy also formed the rear seat still needs a lot of work . and yep I do need some more fiberglass :laugh:

Cardboard and lino are out so it must be time to start on the boot,the hover box has a glossy wax coating brill for glassing it dose not stick. bit of very basic framework to hold it all in place 3 lairs of 600 csm and a lair of woven and we have part of a boot and wheel arches.
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I am going to run out of resin already used my 5th tin this year, plan is to get as much as I can in with just one lair of csm then when I have more resin thicken it all in one hit:painkiller:

I have made a fiberglass cover for the tank to protect all the vitals loads of tape and cardboard should just pull off when its all hard. just need to trim it down and tech screw it in place so I can always get at the tank.
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car will have a lovely rear end when its all finished lol;

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I needed an ignition switch but it was just as cheap to buy a complete power steering column off a corsa so we now have power steering. Need to change the steering wheel but not sure stock bug or chrome and wood.
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good week on ebay bought a set of wheel adapters 40quid so I can look at getting the wheels on. Plus a full roll of core mat and two 25l tins of resin 90 quid always worth scanning fleby for anything close. should have my ZGT for September so that will be a busy month for now going fishing so no action till then. :fish:

Wow, such fast progress is making me dizzy! I take it the Corsa column has electric power assistance rather than hydraulic? Would be a nice mod for a six-pot car on wide tyres, are there any issues connecting it to the rack?

yep electric power assistance they sell controllers on flebay around £15 from memory its like a volume button more power more assistance. all lines up bang on using part mx5 in the middle. I fitted one on my Chevy they work a treat and are as cheap as chips

evening all well I am back off my hols my Zgt is going to be a while yet so some more time on the speedster. wheel spacers have arrived so I fitted the wheels I must have done something right they are bang on for distance from the arch both sides. I am not 100% happy with the area in blue I made it flatter first. Then changed it to what you see still not 100%
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so now wondering should I go whole hog and put a roof on it. it would make it more usable and they are just as cool with a roof ,,,any thoughts anyone

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They had a similar issue on the US based Starke speedster
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1598909377

But I think Brian got it right with the Iconic speedster
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...1&d=1598909377

Somehow it’s flatter.

That said, a Coupé would be very cool - especially with a pre A bent window!

My vote goes for the coupe. Speedster windscreen won't work with it though.

Wheels look great, the rear 'hump' does look closer to the 911 cabriolet than the 356 but, based on what you've achieved so far, it shouldn't take too much work to flatten its curve.

Coupe would look great but sourcing and matching all the side glass and rear screen with frames and trim could become an expensive pain.

Keep up the good work!

ok so I do fancy a coupe but need to think glass first VW beetle 1303 has a curved screen but I think it will be to high. shame I can get a full set of stock glass flat screen for £70 not to far away. Morris minor back window looks more in proportion easy to get just need to find one I can measure. MGB frame with glass but I think to straight.side and rear not so much a problem its getting the front right so any others I could look at.

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split screen still has a curve on the edges so would it still work with just flat glass and look as good

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loving the flat bonnet look too but dont think it would cover the engine big bump with a vent maybe now that would spark questions lol

The speedster clinic were selling a speedster hardtop maybe go that route ?

I tried to buy some parts from the Speedster Clinic a year or two back. The order wouldn't go through on their website and I couldn't get a response from them from their contact details.

If you can get hold of them and they are still trading they'd be a great source of parts at reasonable prices in the UK.

It’s where Andy got his bodywork sides still trading and selling kits

yep they are still trading Gary is whom the part body came from. I was going to pop down and see some of his kits to give me a idea of which way to go see one in the flesh. Not a big fan of the removable hard top just always look like an add on.with a coupe same as in the 250swb the lid makes a massive difference and is what makes the car so cool. decision decisions

meet jedward lol work in progress made a right mess of my garage hope fully get some fiberglass on it tomorrow see how its looks

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Wow, that profile's looking quite 356/911 hybrid. Could also pass for an early streamliner, I like it!

thanks for the positive comments Mr t, I am not trying to copy anything going very much by eye and what I think will look right. The proof will be when I get some fiber glass on it and open the windows up . that's today's job front screens will be flat glass. In fact I have planed it right it will all be flat glass so that will make windows easy.
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Looks closer to the rear profile of the abarth 356 coupe https://i.pinimg.com/originals/37/f2...cd553c1360.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/37/f2...cd553c1360.jpg