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Go Back   Madabout Kitcars Forum > Mad Build Area > Sammio Builds and discussions

Sammio Builds and discussions Sammio bodied car builds and specials

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  #261  
Old 16th February 2019, 08:43
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Barber - Sorry I missed your reply while I was typing the above, but thanks.

By chance I had covered the satisfying/frustrating angle you mentioned.

Also, I think 'robust but ugly' covers a lot of my work too.

But, jokes aside, it is amazing what you can learn to do if you give it a go.

My welding was certainly better at the end of the build compared to the start.

But that scuttle photo really reminded me just how much my fibreglass skills improved with practise.

So good luck with your own build, I know I can't wait to see what it will look like.

Cheers, Paul.
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  #262  
Old 16th February 2019, 11:55
Dpaz Dpaz is offline
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Surely the point of car building is to do as much as you can yourself.
I loved the 4 wheel, Morgan, totally bonkers with no back brakes! Whats the chance of an IVA? Obviously too old to need an MOT.
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  #263  
Old 17th February 2019, 07:45
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Dpaz - Whilst I've tried to do as much as I can, there is certainly more than one way to skin a cat.

And I've got no problem with people approaching things in a very different way to me.

E.g. I could afford a professional paint job, however I really wanted to paint the car myself.

This DIY approach left me with two things:
- An amateur paint finish.
- Money available for professional engine work instead.

So if someone does their own engine, but gets someone else to paint the car, it is all the same really.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Saturday Start…
I've decided to take a break from leather & sewing and switch to metal & welding.

Which means it is time to make my first side mirror plinth, so the cover was peeled back.



And the passenger side mirror was removed.



I knocked up a quick cardboard template to work out the angles of the two mounting plates.



Once again, the sloping driveway was causing a few problems, so I will need to get the car on flat ground to finalised this.

In the meantime, I started on the bottom mounting plate, marking it up like so.
( Yes, one of the lines is wonky. )



The extra space to the right of the base gasket will provide space for one of the supporting tubes to be welded.

Once this was cut out and the holes were drilled, I tidied up the edges and test fitted it.



The first issue is the curve of the body shell vs. the flat of the plate.



So it was back to my hi-tech metal working area just outside the Summerhouse.



After hammering one edge, I use the thin edge of the wood for the other edge.



I then worked over any small odd bends using my mate's panel hammer and my own lump hammer acting as an anvil.



Which gave me this curve, as seen from the inside.



Or along the edge.



End of Part 1…
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  #264  
Old 17th February 2019, 07:48
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Saturday - Part 2:
The fit at the rear edge needed to be flatter in the middle.



But the front edge was a long way off.



This was because at this point, the body shell curves both top to bottom AND front to back.

So I decided it would make sense to relocate my metal working equipment.



To the side of the car.



But, before I did the final round of hammering, I rounded off the corners of the base plate.



Then I could hammer, test and repeat until I had a good fit on all four edges.





Note: I will be using a thin layer of rubber under the plate when it is finally fitted.

Too many other things to do today to progress any further with this, but it is nice to have started.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
When searching for the LeMans photos I posted the other day, this popped up.



An artist's impression of what a DB5 drift car would look like if crossed with a WWII Spitfire.

Details here: http://gtspirit.com/2015/10/11/class...ilish-drifter/
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  #265  
Old 18th February 2019, 07:48
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Sunday
Around 11am I was able to get out for a decent drive, just over 2 hours and 66 miles, which also took me past 3,000 miles.

Despite the sun in the sky, a lot of the roads were still damp in places, so I exercised some caution.

Engine was running nicely and confirmed I prefer 3rd gear twisty sections to overdrive motorway ones.
( Especially as it was particularly blustery during my short blast down the M1. )

Didn't stop for photos until I reached Sainsbury's on the way home.

So no decent photos, but I didn't manage to get one with a shopping trolley in the background.





Despite the fact I haven't got around to cleaning the car, it still got a good reaction out and about.

Also, there were quite a few cars with their roofs down, making the most of the sun, although it wasn't particularly warm.

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It was late afternoon before I got a chance to make a little more progress on the side mirror plinth.

I use the plastic mirror base to mark up some sheet steel.



Then turned it around to give me a guide to extending the 'short' edge.



To give me something like this.



I also marked up the base plate for the driver's side while I was at it.



After some cutting and grinding I had these pieces.



The mirror would then attach to the top plate like so.



This gives a neat join at one end, or it will when I've finished grinding it to shape.



But there will be an overlap at the other end, with the edge protected by the mirror itself.



This overlap is where the supporting tube will be welded into position.



End of Part 1…
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  #266  
Old 18th February 2019, 07:50
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Sunday - Part 2:
Then it was time to take the dust sheet off my welder and get some practise in.

So I just cleaned up two of the small scrap pieces left over after cutting out the top plate.

I was very happy to see my first three welds in a very long time all achieved good penetration on the underside.





I then tried to weld some tube that is wider than I need to the next piece of strap.

Thankfully, this was a great reminder that I need to remember I am not an expert welder.

As where there wasn't enough steel metal to play with around the base of the tube I simply burned through.

Plus I'd forgotten that welding outdoors required a wind break on blustery days to stop the gas being blown away.

So not my finest work.



But please see previous 'robust, but ugly' comment, as this mess still survived the 'hit it with a hammer' test.

So I will try to get some more welding practise in when I get the chance, as that was it for the day.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #267  
Old 19th February 2019, 17:48
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Tinkering Tuesday
I couldn't think of a way to set up, and then fix, the distance between the two side mirror plinth plates.

As they need to be set up on the car, but taken back to the Summerhouse for welding.

After a lot of beard scratching I used some sections of builders band like so.
( Previously used to hold fibreglass sections together. )



The four bands were then bolted to the car like so.



I packed some essentials for on route adjustments...



Before setting off for a short drive around the block to see what I could see.

After a couple of tweaks to the mirror position I was able to a pretty decent view.



Note:
This photo was taken from a driver's eye POV and you can see the wall behind where I parked in the mirror.

Unfortunately, with the sun setting in the background I had to use the flash, but I hope you can see there is a slight inward angle.



As a rough guide, the mirror is now raised approximately 6cm.



Obviously, all these wonky brackets will be removed once I've welded the first two cross bracing tubes into place.



But that is a job for another day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

My current car cover is now completely shot and leaking all over the place.



So a new one has replaced it today.



Quite by chance, my wooden tonneau cover just sneaks in under the headrests.



Once I've finished the side mirror plinths, I will sort out getting a proper tonneau cover made.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #268  
Old 20th February 2019, 17:54
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Windy Wednesday
Unfortunately, today's title was supposed to be 'Welding Wednesday', but the wind caused havoc.

It all started well enough, as I removed the mirror and bolted the builder's band to the two plates.



I then used strips of cardboard to give me the rough angles for the support pillars.



Before cutting sections of steel tube to match.



I then spend ages with my angle grinder fine tuning the fit.

After all the surfaces were cleaned up it was time to start welding, but that was when the gusts of wind arrived.

Which left me with some rubbish welds in places.





But rather than sitting around feeling sorry for myself, I decided to press on.

So the final pillar was cut, shaped, cleaned and welded into place.
(Sorry for the blurred photo as the sun had set by now. )



I then removed the builders band and was left with this.



The only good news is the bottom middle weld shows the machine setting were correct when there was no wind.

Actually, the other bit of good news is that this whole structure is rock solid.

And this will only get better when I clean it all up again and finish the welding.
( As the builder's band was in the way and I couldn't reach all the edges. )

I might I have mentioned this once or twice before, but this really is a top tip…

Never, ever think it is a good idea to build a car outside!



With a bit of luck, by the time this is all finished and painted it will look like a pit lane modification.

Until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #269  
Old 21st February 2019, 12:32
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Bonus Thursday
I had the morning to myself today, so got a bit more done.

I put my solar powered welding helmet on the garden path where the sun could reach it.

But I should have spotted the omen when a cloud covered the sun when I went to take the photo.



I cleaned up the mirror plinth and started the second round of welding.

First weld was perfect and I may have said to myself, at least there is no wind today.

At which point a gust slammed the open Summerhouse door into my head, just as I started the second weld.

So once again it was a bit of pot luck on the weld quality.

The good news is that there are enough good welds to hold the whole thing together strongly.

And after a bit of a clean up I was left with this.





This view shows that the middle pillar is set at a different angle to the other two.
( Which do not align completely, due to the tilt in the top plate. )



I then covered the clothes line with an old towel to protect it from the etch primer.



First coat on.



I know the welding looks rough, but I think that helps create that pit lane modification look.

Alternatively, I might just put a quick skim of filler around the top and bottom of the pillars for a smooth look.

But I'll worry about that another day, cheers, Paul.
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  #270  
Old 21st February 2019, 18:14
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PS
After taking the plinth off the line, I've just added a bit of filler to smooth out the messy welding.

Photos tomorrow.
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  #271  
Old 21st February 2019, 19:26
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Not wanting to teach Granny to suck eggs but if you only have odd bits to weld, use flux cored wire. With the right size nozzle, it works well in my gas/Mig welder outside. For a lot of welding, it works well but it is more expensive than Mig with a big bottle.
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  #272  
Old 22nd February 2019, 18:56
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Dpaz - Don't worry, all tips welcome here thanks.

It certainly hadn't dawned on me about the benefits of 'no gas' when welding outside.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Friday Morning

[Dick Van Dyke]
Cor blimey Mary Poppins, it's a real pea souper.
[/Dick Van Dyke]



The Wembley arch is in there somewhere.

A trip to the Summerhouse revealed the mess I had made with the filler.



After a lot of sanding down I had this.





Which included this softened end sections on the top plate.



As soon as the etch primer went on I realised the filler wasn't quite as smooth as I thought in places.





- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Friday Afternoon

Managed to rack up another 60+ mile trip, but spent far too long stuck in traffic.

I also ended up on some muddy single track roads at one point, making the car even dirtier than usual.

Still, I tried to grab a few photos as the sun was setting.









Until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #273  
Old 22nd February 2019, 19:00
molleur molleur is offline
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Headrests look good too!
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  #274  
Old 22nd February 2019, 20:42
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With what you're doing with weld and filler that finish is normal. Rub it down and dust it with primer, do it again till its right. Then it will be really good. I would leave it like it is until it drove me mad, then I would do it right, usually, sometimes! Onwards and upwards!
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  #275  
Old 24th February 2019, 07:28
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Molleur - Cheers.

The funny thing is, now the head rests are fitted I have switched from construction mode to driving mode.

And when driving the car, I've already forgotten the optical illusion issues and don't even notice it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dpaz - See below, but I've already picked the "leave it as it is" option.

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Saturday
Made a start painting the mirror plinth black.



Then my wife and I headed off for an Italian meal to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Excuse the poor mobile phone camera photo, but I was facing a model of Lucky's 250 Testarossa.



Cheers, Paul.
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  #276  
Old 24th February 2019, 13:41
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Funny innit how when the driving bug bites the rest can wait? Go enjoy. I'm looking at the sun wishing it was the 1st of March and I could tax the Marlin. Then on the 31st cancell it and get free tax. I bet we get the wettest summer ever!
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  #277  
Old 27th February 2019, 07:33
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Dpaz - Cheers.

Hope the sun holds out until your Marlin is back on the road.

The wettest UK Summer in the last 100 years was the year I started building my car outside.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tuesday - Part 1
I found the section of 'left over' rubber sheet I was planning to use for the mirror plinth.

But it really was past its best and so I decided to use a few layers of old inner tube instead.

Despite how they look in the photo, they are all the same size.



Then I bolted the mirror to the top plate, using the original plastic base.



Note this is facing the opposite direction to the way it gets fitted to the car.

As this is the leading edge of the top plate, which matches the outline of the mirror and its base.



And this is the trailing edge, where the top plate extends beyond the mirror base to accommodate the support pillar.



Despite the recent run of nice weather, the perpetual Winter shade on my driveway means it is still COLD!

Which is my excuse for not noticing that the rubber base had slipped down as I was tightening the nuts and bolts up.
( I had cut the rubber to sit just inside the base, but made the holes bigger than required. )



Here is a head on view, which gives you a better idea of the angles involved.



End of Part 1...
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  #278  
Old 27th February 2019, 07:34
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Tuesday - Part 2
It was the afternoon before I had the chance to road test the plinth and see if it actually worked.

After repositioning the movable mirror section (while stationary) I finally had a decent view.

A quick blast up the A1M confirmed that I could now see vehicles in the inside lane after I passed them.

I stopped for a couple of photos, but realised that the mirror plinth was on the 'wrong' side.





So I pulled into the car park at Sainsbury's on the way home to get some better photos.

Did I mention the car needs to be cleaned?









Despite cutting out a base plate for a driver's side mirror plinth, I am not going to make one.
( As the view out of the driver's side mirror is good enough. )

This just leaves the handbrake gaiter and cockpit panelling on my immediate 'To Do' list.

So until next time, take care, Paul.
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  #279  
Old 27th February 2019, 08:42
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Hi Paul Cheers for the thought. Many years ago we had had lovely weather between Easter and Whit. I went to into town to tax my LocUst (pre-internet. I said it was long ago) It was a cloudless warm day when I went into the post office. I came out half an hour later and the sky was black. We had the wettest summer on record. This is the thought hanging over me. Gloomy sod that I can be.
Your mirrors are looking good it is ace when something works out especially mirrors, seeing what you have passed is good, nothing going to pass you eh!
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  #280  
Old 27th February 2019, 10:45
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Hi Paul,

Just catched up with your thread. I like the mirror supports you've made and you are right, after a while the difference between the hump pillows becomes less noticeable and less important too. What is important is that you have made them...good luck with the handbrake gaiter.

Cheers, Deni.
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