Spares:
My donor came with various boxes of small bits I keep forgetting about (I shoved them in the shed).
So it was good to discover the spare wheel mounting bracket
before the body shell was collected.
I also found a spare for this split gearbox cover bracket I removed from the car (& already painted
).
More Painting:
While the Hammerite was out for the headlight shells, I also painted a few other things too.
- The rear radius arm brackets that will bolt to the Cordite Frame.
- The spare gearbox bracket I found above.
- The mounting bracket for the expansion bottle I got from Spitfire Graveyard.
Waxoyl:
Also in that box of bits were 2 spray cans of Waxoyl which was just what my internal frame needed.
I went around spraying inside all the open box section tubes to give them a protective coating.
As the frame was on the lawn, I didn't bother to put down a 'dust sheet' before I started, a minor error.
I quickly realised some sections of the framework are open at both ends & this stuff is very messy.
So now I have a random collection of black Waxoyl patches on my lawn, oops.
Storage Space:
I spent a couple of hours on Sunday just rearranging the Spitfire / Cordite parts in the Summer House.
I am simply running out of places to put things at the moment & it is very frustrating to say the least.
I know things will improve as the build progresses and these parts find a new home fitted to my Cordite.
But at least for now the tidy up exercise has given me a little more room to manoeuvre in.
Hand Brake Mounting Body Panel:
I started the process of cleaning the 2nd hand body shell panel I got from Spitfire Graveyard.
Another messy job that didn't do another part of my lawn any favours either (I'm a slow learner
).
There is a very small section of rust that appears to have eaten through which I will need to sort out.
I will also need to cut off some of the excess metal, but that can wait until I have test fitted it.
Here is the 'Before' photo and I'd include the 'After' ones when I've finished sorting this out.
Ebay Update:
My next items for sale will be the leather seat covers (a re-list), 2 door sill plates & the car heater.
I managed to get to the Post Office to weight the covers & sills, so I can now offer UK postage this time.
But the heater + all its associated bits & pieces will initially be a collection only item.
If I can get half decent prices for these, I will list my remaining parts as a job lot starting at 99p to clear.
I've already recovered 75% of my donor car's cost and will post details of all my sales when complete.
I think that brings me up to date for everything that was going on over the weekend.
But a major project milestone was reached last night when the body shell was collected.
Body Shell:
Yes, 42 days after I removed the last bolt holding the body shell to the chassis, it is finally gone.
In the absence of any lifting gear, it was a case of all hands on deck for a manual lift & manoeuvre.
There was the buyer, his dad & two friends + me & the recovery truck driver, which made 6 in total.
Thankfully we didn't have to carry it far and in the end it only took a few minutes to get it loaded.
Sorry the photos aren't great due to the fact it is getting dark so early these days.
Rolling Chassis:
At last, the backbone of my Cordite build is revealed, again apologies for the lack of a decent photo.
But on first impressions, it all looks pretty good to me, although clearly it needs a major clean!
I was expecting that, given the fact it had been languishing in a barn for years before I got it.
As a temporary measure, I've rested the front half of the frame in place to support the master cylinders.
( I had left them both connected as they were all working fine before I removed the pedals. )
Whilst it was too dark to see clearly, it appears the frame & chassis holes are in the right ball park.
General Sammio Body Shell Question:
I know a key part of the Sammio re-body inspection process is that the new body must be removable.
But has anyone actually removed their Sammio body
after it was bonded to the frame & floors?
If the frame needed some "encouragement" to fit, would the bonding & fibre glassing hold it in place?
Or would the frame spring back into its original shape if unbolted, breaking the bodywork as it did so?
I actually have the photo below from
Mister Towed's framework "encouragement" in mind.
Clearly it would be much easier to paint / seal the underside of the body shell if it was off the chassis.
But I wouldn't even consider doing this if I was putting the whole body shell structure at risk.
Next Steps:
We have loads of our friends & their children coming round for a BBQ / lunch on the 22nd Sept.
So I have a long list of chores to get the house & garden looking ship shape before everyone arrives.
Part of my tidying up will involve moving the rear half of the frame from back garden to front drive.
So I should get a chance to do a very basic test fit of the frame & then throw the Cordite body on top.
Then I can pull my Spitfire car cover over the top and instantly achieve a "tidied up" look.
So whilst I am unlikely to make much real progress in the next two weeks, I'm still pretty happy.
I feel I've finally reached the point where I'm not dismantling a Spitfire, but building a Cordite.
Until next time, take care, Paul.
