[Mick O'Malley]

After a few days of rain watching, yesterday I took advantage of the fine weather to address the last couple of hurdles before final fixing of the body to the chassis.

As the seating position in the Monaco is well aft of the Spitfire's, the gear lever needs to be similarly relocated. I'd done this on the A352 to get an authentic D Type forward angle and situation. I did this by butchering two extensions and joining them by bolting through a length of aluminium channel. The rod was extended with a length of welded on close fitting tube. This has worked well in service.



However, the build CD I got with the kit (scans of the 'manual', I don't think CDs were invented when it was manufactured) describes a simpler solution - chop the extension and bolt the driver's end through the GRP tunnel. Amongst the box of brackets I got is a fabricated extended rod but it's pretty crude so I'll extend the original again.





Next job was to fabricate brackets to firmly locate the body sides to the front outriggers. I couldn't use the existing tappings in them as the off side one has gone AWOL. I decided to make them from steel rather than aluminium sheet as decent strength and rigidity is needed. I plumped for M6 bolts through the top face of the outriggers and a combination of M5 bolts and big head rivets through the body, the outward curve of which means that neither of my rivet guns would fit to rivet the lower holes

Cardboard assistance was again used to make templates for the brackets and the angle of bend required. Due to the asymmetry of the body one of the nearside fixing holes had to be tapped into the inner boxed in section of the near-side outrigger.



I next applied the foam cushioning to the manufacturer's rear suspension bridge body mounting points and offered up the Monaco body. It now sits flush along its whole length and to my fabricated boot floor, and the mounting holes for my outrigger brackets look perfectly positioned.



I then quit while I was ahead, a sound decision as it began to rain whilst I was packing everything away!

Regards, Mick