WCA - Build thread 3

[WorldClassAccident]

The wrap would only be for the silver bits around the screen and probably have to be done in three sections rather than a single piece all the way round.

10:30 Update - Finished coffee, taken some photos, done some stuff

What I received from Chris








Wire wheels from another forum member needed a little cleaning before undercoating and painting black





The bonnet wasn't releasing properly so a little investigation and I found the passenger side wheel arch liner slightly snagged the bonnet so needed trimming and the bonnet release catch needed optimally aligning (bending into place)



While trimming the wheel arch liner I realised they weren't fully fixed so...



Opening and closing the bonnet revealed an irritating rattle. After much investigation I gave up and shut the bonnet with a bang and look what revealed themself. I wonder if they were important?


I removed the loose bits and added the chrome surrounds to the lights



Another coffee and think what is next

[Scottie22]

Very nice too!

[Down&Out]

Looking fantastic! Even suits those modern alloys somehow.

[WorldClassAccident]

Hmmm, first snag as highlighted by Chris earlier.

These are the hub adaptors and the wheel bolts


Here are the adaptors fitted snugly in the wheels


Here are the adaptors with the bolts fitted and they no longer fit sugly


Now is it safe/advisable to shorten the head of the bolt? There is about 10mm of angled shart and about 10mm of bolt head where the spanner fits. Could I lose 3-4mm of the bolt head without wrecking the strength of the bolt?

[garyh]

Go for it, it doesn't look a lot.

[Scottie22]

WCA I cut my wheel nuts in half, and I have no concerns about that at all,

I would say that 4mm off the 10mm head would be okay considering that you still have almost as much steel in the tapered bit.
As far as I understand it the weak point would be the shear strength at the place where the thread meets the taper.
If the nut part was 3 inches long, it would add no strength to the weak point!

[Charman.tech]

Nick

Looking good, hope he wheels were OK they look as if they are.

I had similar issues with the wire wheel adaptors and the length of the nuts on the G46, I was told not to cut the nuts or I could not find any others suitable so I used wheel spacers behind the adaptors to use up the surplus thread.

I have just acquire an old wreck of an XJS cabriolet, not as if I have enough work in the garage seeing your car I wonder if Chris at triune could make me some Lister fared wings.

[WorldClassAccident]

Charman- I am still in two minds about cutting the nuts. My brain agrees with Scottie in that it shouldn't weaken them but... ...What did you use for spacers, normal washers of something specific? The wheels are fine BTW

Chris had an XJS sat outside the garage when I picked the car up yesterday so he might be able to sort you out some bits.

[WorldClassAccident]

Needed to re-site the screen washer jets. I wanted them hidden beneath the bonnet which meant making some mounting brackets and then trial fit them using the 'balance a tool on top of them' method



Don't stand up after taking this picture or you will bang your head on the bonnet (again)


and with the bonnet shut you can hardly see them. The gold wahser just shows below the end of the wiper blade


Now the big decision is black or silver or body colour for the side sills?





At the moment, black beats silver. I want to see it wuith the blck wires fitted to be sure though. A friend has access to a proper lather and stuff to cut them down accurately during the week so hopefully the wire wheels will be fitted next weekend.

[Mitchelkitman]

Originally Posted by Charman.tech

Nick



I had similar issues with the wire wheel adaptors and the length of the nuts on the G46, I was told not to cut the nuts or I could not find any others suitable so I used wheel spacers behind the adaptors to use up the surplus thread.

Looking at WCA's issue, the bolt heads are stopping the wheels from seating on the adaptors - It looks as though it can't be solved by any washer/spacer? A spacer between the wheel and adaptor is surely a recipe for disaster as the wheel needs to seat correctly on the adaptor so that it (the wheel) will stay put.

[tonyt]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-VW-Sho...item4614df2316
This may help with the wheel problem.

[Mitchelkitman]

So judging by the above posts... It's ok to grind a bit off (just don't get them red hot in the process.... very unlikely, just joking)

[tonyt]

By the way I forgot to say the build looks amazing! Saw to Adam Wilkins today (features editor of Compleat Car Magazine) he saw your car at Exiter and seemed impressed with the changes made since then, this was only about an hour after you posted them! It the photoshoot for the Gilburn T11 for a future article.

[WorldClassAccident]

Have a friend to millthe bolt heads down to size.

I did a bit of respray to cover the undercoat. Worst paint job ever probably but hides the grey a bit and make the car visually cohesive



TonyT - If Adam Wilkins want to contact me please let him know I am happy with that. Get him to PM me or contact Chris at Tribute for phone and email details

[Paul L]

WCA - Your car looks great and it a real tribute to your vision & Chris & Dan's skills.

( See what I did there? )

I must confess I initially thought the exhaust was going to cover the "holey" sill.

I think if you paint the sill body colour it will not catch your eye so much, black will make the body look thinner, but silver will draw your eye to the holes and away from all those lovely curves.

But what do I know?

Good luck with the last few finishing touches, Paul.

[WorldClassAccident]

Paul - I agree what you say about the sills. They looked great when we first found them and thought we should highlight the feature so painted them silver. Then I realised they looked crap so trying to decide between black and body colour. Don't want to distract from the curves

[WorldClassAccident]

Summary at the end of weekend 1

1) Fit the front number plate somehow while I decide between a low mounted one or a sticker across the nose
3) Front Grill - Get some 4mm sheet aluminium cut to form the vertical slats and then some black mesh behind that.
Identified issue and resolution in place 5) Fit the hub adaptors and wire wheels to determine the issue with the nuts depth
9) Get a price for chrome vinyl wrap for the windscreen surround
12) Wrap the back of the exhaust with heat wrap so it doesn't melt the fuel tank
13) Fit a panel covering where the exhausts exit to just leave two stubby pipe ends exposed
14) Sort out the rear arch liners to ensure a good fit
15) Grill over the 3rd brake light slot
16) Boot opener to be sourced and fitted
17) Get Chris to fit the door handles I want
18) Send to the paint shop
19) Order a NI number plate
20) Order and fit square rear plate (possibly a black and silver 'show plate'
21) Order and fit front plate, either sticker or low mounted
22) Decide what I want to do with the interior and do it or outsource it
23) fit screen wash jets


Complete 2) Bonnet release lever - Relocate/adjust so the lever works rather than reaching through the front grill hole
Complete 4) Fit the chrome headlight surrounds
Complete 6) Properly locate and fix the front wheel arch liners
Complete 7) Test my spraying skills on the removeable front wings
Complete 8) If the result is bearable, spray over the remaining undercoat
Complete 10) Clean the filler dust off the hood
Complete 11) Give a couple of coats of paint to the side exhausts
Complete 24) - clean and paint wire wheels
Complete 25) - paint silver sills black to check the effect

[WorldClassAccident]

Not much for today as I have been working on work rather than the car. I have decided to drive to my clients site tomorrow in the Z300S so need to fit the front plate.

This is a temparary fix until I decide whether to risk a stick on plate across the bonnet. I didn't want to make full size brackets and mounts until I have decided so chose to fit the plate below the main grill.

This made it quite close to the ground and I was a bit worried about knocking it off until I can up with a 'clever idea'



By using an old door hinge I don't have to create my own bracket and if the plate does scrape a speed bump it simply swings out of the way.

This pictures hides how bad my paint work really is but does show the car off quite well. I am really please with how it is looking. Hopefully I will be able to sneak out and fit a temprary grill this afternoon, work permitting.

[Scottie22]

There may be a solution to your problem depending how far you want to go.

Some years ago I had a Triumph GT6, (I’ve still got it)
and the number was stuck across the bonnet ala E Type.

It was fine for years until an a**eshole of a plod gave me a hard time and threatened to “do “me if I did not put it on “the first flat vertical surface on the vehicle”

I was determined not have it under the chin as I think it looks awful
(Present company accepted)

This kind of determination encouraged lateral thought, and as the number was black and silver, I constructed a new one out of fine black gauze with a sliver alloy surround, bolted raised silver letters and numbers through the gauze, (careful to observe the spacing etc)
I mounted the whole thing in the oval air intake at the front of the bonnet.

The number plate was legal, in the correct place, looked good, and the car did not overheat, because as the air passed through it.

I never saw pc a hole again!

When my build is finished, I will transfer the number to the XKSS mounted in the same place.

I don’t know whether this would work with a black and white plate though, I guess it might if you painted the mesh really white with black letters?

This all involved a lot of work, but that's what we’re all about isn’t it?
Your finished result might look good!(The number plate I mean)
[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

[WorldClassAccident]

You might want to check out the wheel camber on your XKSS!

I agree about the plate hanging down looking crap. A side effect of using the hinge is that it can easily fold back out of sight when not wanted. Who knows, it might even do that when driving but I haven't stood by the side of the road while I drive past at speed.

I am stuck with black on white so not sure your tip would work but I do like your thinking.

Just got this. The interesting bit is in bold

"2001 No. 561 ROAD TRAFFIC The Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001"

Fixing of front registration plates: vehicles registered on or after the relevant date
6.—(1) This regulation applies to vehicles, other than works trucks, road rollers and
agricultural machines, first registered on or after the relevant date.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (5), a registration plate must be fixed on the front of the
vehicle in the manner required by paragraph (3).
(3) This paragraph requires the plate to be fixed—
(a) vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the
vertical as is reasonably practicable,
(b) in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are
easily distinguishable from every part of a relevant area having the diagonal length
specified in paragraph (4).
(4) The diagonal length of the relevant area is—
(a) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is at least 57 millimetres,
22 metres,
(b) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 50 millimetres, 21.5
metres,
(c) in the case of a mark having characters the width of which is 44 millimetres, 18 metres.
(5) In the case of a motor cycle or a motor tricycle which does not have a body of a type
which is characteristic of the body of a four-wheeled vehicle—
(a) a registration plate must not be fixed on the front of a vehicle if it was first registered
on or after 1st September 2001,
(b) a plate need not be fixed on the front of the vehicle if it was first registered before 1st
September 2001.





Complete 1) Fit the front number plate somehow while I decide between a low mounted one or a sticker across the nose
Complete 2) Bonnet release lever - Relocate/adjust so the lever works rather than reaching through the front grill hole
Complete 3) Front Grill - Temporary grill fitted
Complete 4) Fit the chrome headlight surrounds
Complete 6) Properly locate and fix the front wheel arch liners
Complete 7) Test my spraying skills on the removable front wings
Complete 8) If the result is bearable, spray over the remaining undercoat
Complete 10) Clean the filler dust off the hood
Complete 11) Give a couple of coats of paint to the side exhausts
Complete 14) Sort out the rear arch liners to ensure a good fit
Complete 24) - clean and paint wire wheels
Complete 25) - paint silver sills black to check the effect