Petrol Tank:
I put some tape on the frame to mark the holes required to hold the petrol tank in place.
I will then centre these holes (top to bottom) in the frame to maximise metal around them.
I need to extend the mounting holes at the bottom corners of the tank.
This will then allow me to drill holes in the middle of the frame for better support.
Plywood Panels - Continued:
I did re-measure the cockpit panel sizes & I'm now happy that my previous pattern/layout will work.
( I had added a generous safety margin to each measurement to ensure I had enough. )
So I moved on to looking at the area behind the rear cockpit panel to see what might work.
I wanted to have some basic protection for the petrol tank & some sort of rear arch structure too.
The other thing I wanted to do was provide additional support for the area behind the seats.
This follows the photo of
Misted Towed's
Incredible Bonding Blob! ...
His logic was that people will instinctively lift themselves out of the car by pressing down on the body.
That makes sense to me, so I plan to do something similar, although I will not have a luggage box.
There is however a handy four sided shape of frame work above the Cordite petrol tank...
If you compare the two photos, the petrol tank is much closer in the Cordite vs. the Spyder layout.
I guess this should not be a real surprise as one started with 2 seats & the other with 4.
I just played around with some cardboard to see what would fit where.
Until I refit the body for further testing, I'm not sure how much clearance I have over this area.
So one option would be to rest a panel on top of the frame which would provide the support required.
Although I would have to leave some sort of hole for the filler pipe.
One option would be to put panels around most of the tank by following the shape of the frame work...
I tested cardboard below the frame for under the petrol tank, but there will be a gap above the frame.
These wooden wedges are slightly bigger than the gap that will be available (tank will not be at an angle).
So more
beard scratching required before I decide on a final layout.
Mock Up:
The whole point of looking at things now is to avoid problems in the future.
Another area that has caught my eye is the clutch pedal clearance.
I know it is not currently connected, but the pedal hits the front foot well.
And that is before I build this up with the panel required to tie this in with the body.
( As per
AndyP57's demonstrator build. )
I will temporarily re-connect the clutch to test this again another day.
Only then will I know if it is an issue or not.
Especially as lowering the pedal mounting plate was one solution to my brake M/C problem.
Hand Brake Mounting Panel:
Having only just realised the significance of the bolt hole in this panel...
Imagine my despair when it fell off after a very innocuous knock while moving it.
I will add this to my list of welding jobs required and sort it out another day.
The only good news is that it came away now and not during my first MOT test.
Despite the small set back, I decided to continue preparing this panel for use.
First step was taking my angle grinder to the excess metal forming the lower "lip".
This will allow the panel to sit flush with the Cordite fame work and my lowered floor pans.
Then I needed to cut out small sections from the rear to allow for the Cordite frame work.
I didn't want to use the grinder after 6 pm, so I will test fit & finish these cut outs tomorrow.
Engine Re-Starting:
I am very conscious that the last time I had my Spitfire engine running was 21st July.
After that I had to disconnect everything so that I was able to remove the body shell.
It is also clear that a lot of work is required to get the car to even a 'Go Kart'/'Moon Rover' stage.
So I will have a little think about the minimum requirement to restart the engine in a few weeks.
Hopefully this will reduce the chances of any problems associated with leaving the car outside.
Off the top of my head, this will involve the following tasks:
- Battery - Need to establish where I will earth this to & extend cables if required.
- Ignition - Don't need to have steering in place, just have section of column with the key handy.
- Wiring - Just re-connect the minimum number of wires for the engine to run.
- Choke & Throttle Cables - Just need to be connected at the engine end & be 'pullable'.
- Petrol - I need a temporary arrangement until the frame is fixed in & hard line re-routed.
Overall Progress:
I am trying to remain positive and remember that every hour worked is an hour closer to finishing.
However, I also have to accept that this project is going to required a significant number of hours.
Still, with a bit of luck, I'll get a few of those hours in tomorrow.
Cheers, Paul.
