Another Cordite Is Born ...

[Paul L]

Inching Forward - Part 2:

I then fitted the floors again and marked up where I need to trim the overhang along the frame edge.



I also marked up where I need to make a notch for the seat belts mounts.



I will mark the holes where the bolts through the frame are going another day.
( As I should have done this when the frame was off. )

In the end I did fetch my angle grinder so I could remove a section from the wheel arches.
Previously I had just cut the sides and folded the metal back out of the way.



Now I was able to remove these sections completely.



Obviously there is a lot of tidying up and re-painting to do before final fitting.

Unfortunately there is no way I can lift the frame, floors & rear arches by myself.
So I attempted to guide the arches into place with the frame and floor already in position.
This was seriously hard work on my own and you can see the "scars" in the paintwork.



But the good news is that my "Scooby Doo" sandwich of chassis, frame, floors & arches seems to work.
And the seat belt holes will be accessible through all the layers.



Then, when I put the body back on to tidy up for the night, it was actually starting to look a bit like a car inside.



Weather Watch:
I really need to have faith in the forecast when I'm doing this sort of work.
As there are car parts all over the place and it takes me a while to put everything away.





The fact the sky went very dark at this point made me very nervous.
( Not sure this photo really does the sky justice. )



Thankfully the rain held off and I lived to build another day.

Front Bulkhead:
Looking at the way the floors over lap the Spitfire bulkhead I think I need to sort this out before I bolt the rear frame down.
There is no point in cutting off the front sections of the lowered floor pans if I am not going to use this old bulkhead.
Whilst the metal work I have done on the rear of the car has given me some hope for tackling the front, it is still a big job.
So I will start the serious beard scratching shortly and work out the best way forward.

Next Steps:
There are still lots of small, but time consuming, jobs to do connected with the rear frame.
I need to drill the first 4 holes in the chassis and work out if I can make crush tubes work.
Also I need to fill in the old holes for the fuel / brake lines and drill new ones, etc.
But as you can see from the photos above, I will need a dry weather forecast.

Overall:
Whilst I've called this update "Inching Forward", I know that all forward progress is good.
I've put a lot of work into ensuring that some big parts will all fit/work together.
I also know that when these parts are finally fitted, then a major milestone will have been reached.
Whilst the finish line is still a very long way off, seeing the "interior" for the first time was a big boost.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Mister Towed]

You've reached a very satisfying stage of the build Paul - the point where all the parts start to come together and look like a car. Well done and keep up the good work.

[oxford1360]

As Towed says, it's really starting to look like a car, and a very neat one at that. Keep going! I find that car building is an excellent reason to watch Elizabeth Saary and Laura Tobin on the BBC Weather Channel.

[Viatron]

Keep up the good work, sorry if my account pop touched a nerve im guessing your "in the trade" :-)

[slartibartfast]

Looking very good.
I had better push on with mine but the wife keeps using the "D" word .... yep you've got it .... DECORATING ... things might go a bit quiet for a while on Spyder 125.
Think of me
Slarti

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by slartibartfast

Looking very good.
I had better push on with mine but the wife keeps using the "D" word .... yep you've got it .... DECORATING ... things might go a bit quiet for a while on Spyder 125.
Think of me
Slarti

That's domestic abuse, that is.

Quick, retreat to the man cave before she notices that the skirting boards aren't quite as white as they used to be...

[Paul L]

Mr T, Oxford, Viatron & Slarti
- Thanks for the encouragement chaps.
- No worries on the accountant jokes, thankfully I'm not a typical bean counter.
( I only went down the road of becoming an accountant to fund my motorcycle racing. )
- Thankfully our house was completely decorated in 2009/10.
( Unfortunately, that was the same time that our garage was converted. )

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Front Bulkhead - More Thoughts:
No chance to work on the car at the moment, but I did have another quick look at the Spitfire bulkhead.
I need to lower it by around 4 cms so the front end of the Cordite bodywork can drop to the right level.

This is the current gap between frame and door opening:



And this is what the gap should look like:



Although part of this gap is caused by a problem I've just noticed at the back.
As one corner of my rear seat belt mounting bracket fouls the bodywork.



Sorry the photo is a bit blurred, but you get the idea.



There is only a few mm in it before the rest of the standard framework becomes the limiting factor.
( Either way, every mm helps, so I will add this to the list of things to sort out at some point. )

Turning my attention back to the front bulk head I had another look at the brake master cylinder.
I have actually bought a single line alternative, but I am hoping to avoid the need to use it.
As it stands, the back of the m/c will fit under the bonnet lip of the bodywork.
( The m/c will move back around 6 cms from where it is in this photo when finally fitted. )



The filler cap would require a "bubble" in the bonnet for clearance, but that is OK.
The important thing is that I need to keep the current "pedal shelf to bodywork" distance intact.
So I can't chop the top of the Spitfire bulkhead off to find my 4 cm, as per the Herald builds for Spyders/Pilots.

Similarly, I can't chop the bottom off as this is where the bulkhead mounts & floors are.
This means I am faced with chopping a section out of the middle and joining it back together.
This will involve a lot of cutting and welding, but at least I have had a bit of practise now.

The real issue is the need to vary where the chop takes place.
It needs to be under the pedal mounting points, but over the gearbox cover mounting.
( As this aligns from the floor upwards. )
Similarly the hole in the bulkhead for the steering column is aligned from the floor up.
But the Spitfire steering column mounts would need to be re-aligned to fit.



There is also a lot of rust/rot in the bulkhead to cut out and repair while I'm at it.
So it will be a massive job that I will need to tackle one small step at a time.

Note:
I haven considered re-working the original Cordite bulkhead framework to make that fit.
But I still think using the Spitfire bulkhead is the better option.
Mind you, this approach will be my Plan B if it all goes horribly wrong.

Car Heater:
Initially I was opting for a KISS approach of not having a heater in the car.
But now I think I will fit one like Mr T, although I also saw one Viatron picked.
I just need to make sure there is enough space in the bulkhead left to fit one.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Paul L]

Chipping Away:
I was able to grab a few minutes on the car today in between the perpetual rain.

First thing I noticed was that my new car covers are not exactly water tight.



Although in their defence it was seriously lashing down yesterday.
But at least the hardboard did keep the rain out of my shiny lowered floor pans.

My first job was to trim the rear seat belt mounting brackets.

Passenger side - Before & After:





Driver's side:





I took another wafer thin slice off this side after the photo was taken as it was still fouling.
Although if I gave the shell a little shove towards the other side it cleared nicely.

Which leads me to the next issue which is centralising the bodywork...

Obviously the rear corners of the cockpit are not the same size.

Driver's side:



Passenger side:



In addition, the driver's hump will not clear the rear cockpit frame work.



Note:
As mentioned previously, the frame work for the door openings stops the body going back any further.

There are a few builders currently reworking their fibreglass bodies at the moment.
( And their detailed build diaries are a big help. )
Plus the new Ribble Navigator has been re-worked substantially to get a better fit.
So there is no escape from the fact that I need to perform similar fibreglass surgery on my bodywork.
The only good news is I don't need to fix it today as I have plenty of other things to do first.

One simple job I could do while I had the angle grinder out was on the bulkhead...

The second hand Spitfire body shell I got is not one of the later 1500 models.
Which means it does not have the recess in the bulkhead for the twin line brake master cylinder.
So I will need to make one when I am modifying the bulkhead.

There was also a cross brace on the bulkhead that was in the way of the brake lines.



After a quick trim with the grinder all the brake lines clear nicely.
( It is just the angle of the photo which makes the lower line look closer than it is. )



The back of the master cylinder needs to go back 4 cms from this point to align with the pedal.

My final job before covering everything back up again was another quick check.
I wanted to see where the Cordite bodywork made contact with the Spitfire bulkhead.

So I simply stuck three small blobs of plasticine on the bulkhead.



After re-fitting the bodywork, it was the one in the middle that was squashed.



This means I will have a nice big surface area to bold the body shell to.
But I am a long way off worrying about that at the moment.

Next Steps:
I need a day with no rain forecast to take everything apart again.
Then I can weld up the cuts I've made to the rear frame and rear wheel arches.
With these out of the way I will be able to remove the Spitfire bulkhead.
( Something I can't do while the front edges of the floor pans overlap the bulkhead. )

Micro Heater - More Thoughts:
The thing I love about other build threads is the fact you can learn so much from them.
I went back through Mister Towed's build yesterday while it was raining outside.
Here are some of his photos which really help me understand what I need to do...

Special hose connections through the bulkhead:



Cable operated control value:



Split of ducting to the two vents:



The other thing that was good about going through his build thread again is the end result.
It just confirms that if you keep chipping away, you will get there in the end.
My only slight concern is that the end of my build is still a very long way off yet.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Mister Towed]

Glad you're still finding my thread useful, Paul.

My build felt like it took a long time, but, having read some threads where people are building 'conventional' kit cars and taking up to a decade to get them roadworthy, two years from collecting the body to driving it to the MOT station sounds pretty swift. Keep chipping away and you'll be on the road in what seems like no time at all. I can assure you it's well worth the effort.

[Paul L]

Mister Towed: - Your build thread keeps coming in handy (see below).
Since I got my kit I've read a lot of build threads on here & on other forums.
Given the skills you had to learn & the state of your chassis, your two year build was great.
Your many "challenges" also highlighted how even the simple jobs can take ages.
So I will keep chipping away and it will take how ever long it takes.

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Spent the day watching films with my youngest daughter who was too ill for school.
Despite the fact it was actually sunny outside, I have no regrets about leaving the car alone.

However, I had a major breakthrough in my build plan this morning that I want to check with you...

Dreams, Nightmares and a Vision:
To say I have been worrying about the bulkhead "chop" would be an understatement.
This is just a selection of the photos & notes I've been making trying to work out a plan.



Note:
My old digital camera is really on its last legs now, so apologies for the poor quality photos.

These days as I put my head down to sleep I find myself mentally working my way around the bulkhead.
Just when I think I have resolved one issue, another one pops up.
So this dreaming about my bulkhead was really turning into a nightmare for me.

But this morning, it was like I'd been hit by a vision from above.
Why am I going to all this effort to make the bulkhead fit the Cordite body shell?
After all, the body shell isn't exactly symmetrical, or square, in the first place.

I've enjoyed watching how Micky1Mo has made his shell fit the Spitfire bulkhead.



He was able to simply cut away the top of the bulkhead as he is retaining the windscreen, etc.
But the point is that the Spitfire bulkhead has remained completely intact.

So my "vision" is to simply avoid chopping the Spitfire bulkhead at all.
Instead, I will add a few cms to the Cordite body shell so it can fit over the top.

As well as Micky, Oxford, Viatron & christinedmc are currently cutting & re-working their body shells too.
I'm not saying it is easy, as I've never used fibreglass before, but clearly it is possible.

As I don't have Photoshop, it was back to a 'Blue Peter' cutting & sticking approach to illustrate my plan.

I think there are a few steps required to make this work:
- Cut the body shell into two halves.
- Then cut a strip from the bottom of the front half of the shell.
( This is because the body curves under at this point & that needs to match the rear section. )
- Then the gaps need to be filled with fibreglass and the whole repair strengthened.
This would also leave the lip for the bonnet to rest on unchanged.

Which looks quite straight forward on paper.



So what I need to do is simply repair the bulkhead and then fit it.
At this point I will be able to cut the body shell and work out how much of a gap I need.

"If any man on this forum knows of good reason why these two sections of bodywork can not be joined together, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."

Jokes aside, is this a workable plan?
( I know there will be a lot of filling & sanding required to hide the repair/maintain body shape. )

It seems like a such a KISS approach, I don't know why I didn't think of it before.
Well, apart from the obvious "Can't see the wood for the trees".

Note:
I know this approach will increase the size of the door openings.
But the doors need to be sorted out by a professional anyway, so hopefully not an issue.
Especially as I plan to leave the curves at the bottom of the door openings as they are.

Spitfire Bulkhead Repairs:
If there is no "chop", then I just need to worry about repairing the bulkhead.
Although I have been thinking about where the rear Cordite frame meets the bulkhead.
Initially I cut the body shell so that the chassis "arm" was boxed in on 3 sides.



But when I was lining up the frame the other day, it was clear it was pressing against the bulkhead.
Going through Mr T's build thread the other day gave me this great photo of his Herald bulkhead.



So I could simply cut the side nearest the rear Cordite frame away from my bulkhead.
Which would still leave the floors supported, & bolted to, the chassis.
Note: Herald chassis rail is full width at this point, unlike the "stubby" Spitfire arm.
However, I will be adding some box section to join the bulkhead to the rear frame.
So it should be possible to add some extra support in this area.

Mr T's build also gave me this great example of a fibre glass repair.







So I will tackle the bulkhead with a mixture of welding extra metal in & fibre glass repairs.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[oxford1360]

Well done, Paul. It looks like a neat solution. Have you read through seanick's build thread on the Tribute area? If you want to see what can be achieved through cutting and shutting, he's your man. It has to be said that he is a GRP pro, but the rest of us can dream and work within our limitations. As you know, it's amazing what can be achieved as long as you don't hurry. Best of luck! I bought my fibreglass supplies from CYB - http://www.cybglassfibre.co.uk/

I'm sure other places are as reasonable, but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending them.

[christinedmc]

Hoi Paul,

Ypur plan to make a zig zag cut of the body above the bulkhead looks good to me. I have no experience with the cordite/spifire examples. But the fibreglass work you plan is really straight forward. For example. The job of extracting 4 cm's of length in the bodywork most of us with a Sammio Spyder went through, is in fact 2 hours of work. This would be a little bit more complicated. Just have the 2 halfs lined up very well when you laminate it together.

Michiel

[Viatron]

Paul, looks like a plan but have you thought about the doors? They will need reshaping to match the new door aperture shape. Not the end of the world but you need to consider it.
Mac

[Mister Towed]

Glad you're still finding my build pictures useful Paul. Looking back I can't believe I managed to finish my car in only two years either, although my original time budget was six months. I'd love to build another one but I couldn't afford the divorce

Interesting that you're considering altering the body to fit the bulkhead. I'm not too familiar with the Cordite structure, but what's the worry about cutting the Spitfire bulkhead? Hope it all goes well whichever way you tackle it, just remember , whatever you chop/hack/burn, there's nothing much that can't be undone or replaced afterwards anyway. Except fingers.

[Paul L]

Replies:
Oxford - Seanick has already given me tips/ideas for both fibre glassing & welding.
Your own step by step guide to the work you are doing is also a big help.
Michiel - I am reaching the stage where I am prepared to "give it a go".
Seeing what other people have achieved is a big part of this.
Mac - My doors need so much work already, that I hope this isn't too much extra work.
Although I think they will end up with a slight slope on the top edge of the doors.
Mr T - My main worry on the bulkhead chop was it needed to be "in the middle".
It couldn't come off the top like your Herald as there would be no room for the master cylinders.
Similarly it couldn't come straight off the bottom due to the steering column route.
The final issue revolved around the bulkhead opening for the gearbox tunnel / engine fitting.
Overall, I think I need to add around 4cm to the body, which shouldn't ruin the overall lines.

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My youngest was still off school today, so we watched a couple of films together.
However, I was able to sneak out and remove my wooden tonneau cover.
As the sun was out, I gave it a couple of quick coats of furniture oil & left it to dry.



Thankfully, it was still dry outside when my wife got home from work.
So after doing the supermarket run I was free to play outside briefly.

It was a serious PITA to get the floors out of my metal work "sandwich" without completely removing everything.
But once they were out of the way I bolted down the bulkhead to double check the gap to the frame.

There is a slither of daylight on the driver's side.



The passenger side had the "wonky" frame rail.
But it is where this rain meets the chassis edge of the frame that fouls.



Going back to KISS principles, I am going to keep this box section of the bulkhead.
When it comes time to re-fit it, I will adjust the Cordite framework a few mm to fit.

But for now it was time to remove the bulkhead so I can start my repair work.
I needed my wife's help to lift it clear and leave it on the drive.



This left the frame looking like this.



At which point I put the body back on and left the floors resting over the top of the hand brake panel for now.
When I had everything on the drive back in place and covered up I called on my wife's help again.
We carried the bulkhead through the house and back down to the end of the garden.
( Sorry the light was fading & the photo isn't great. )



Then it was back on with the cover and I could call it a night.



I'm actually looking forward to tackling this now, although the weekend weather looks grim.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Paul L]

Spitfire Bulkhead Repairs - The Beginning:
Only managed to crab an hour outside just before darkness fell.
But it was still enough time to make a start on my bulkhead.

First job was to take a series of "before" photos.
I will post the "close ups" when the relevant section has been tackled.

But here is the overall look from the front and back.





I remembered Mister Towed (AKA "The Oracle" ) mentioning his bulkhead cracking when it looked like this.
So I wanted to brace the two sections at the back to remove any flexing when moving this around.

I couldn't do this while it was still on the chassis as the prop. shaft was in the way.
( Well, I suppose I could have built a "bridge" in the brace, but that seemed a bit OTT. )
Instead I measured the distance between the two sections while they were bolted down.

Then it was simply a case of removing paint to leave clean metal along the edge.



Then I could clamp a length of box section to one side and weld it into place.



With that side welded, I could clamp the other side and check the gap.
Then it was simply a case of finishing the welding and job done.



It is amazing how big a difference this actually made, the whole thing is now very solid.

Thankfully, I only needed to tack it in place as obviously it will be removed before re-fitting.
I knew the current reel was almost out of welding wire & I have a replacement ready to go.
So I was very happy to see I got the job done with mm to spare.



Then I started preparing the area around the original heater mounting with my angle grinder.
As it was dusk, the sparks were pretty impressive in the fading light.

Before:


After:


The micro heat that Mr T used sits inside the bulkhead, so I don't need these heater holes.
Although I still need to work out the routes for the radiator hoses, so I'll be leaving them for now.

There was just enough time to make some cardboard templates for my first repair patches.



Note: The two smaller circles are for the holes associated with the wipers & screen wash.
I'll cut them out of metal tomorrow, reload the welder and then start the repair work.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Scottie22]

Wow Paul!! I thought I had my work cut out but I feel humbled now!
You are a very brave man.
So far, I have left my heater in place. (I had a 7 type car couple of years ago and would NOT be without a good heater. There was just one switch, it was on full or off, and I loved it.
Please tell me about this Mister Towed micro-heater?
What kind of out put does have compared to a standard Spitfire one?

I was so pleased to see that you are working outside! I felt like a poor cousin or something but feel in better company now.
I built a concrete pad in my front garden, and built a tent like structure to work in. ( You can do things like that when you've thrown your wife out!!)

Of course you can't do that or your bulkhead will never go back on!
But until I get the body shell on, that has to remain under a sheet.
Please let me know the heater details and keep up the brilliant work

[Viatron]

Both Mr T and my heaters started life here: http://www.t7design.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=189

HTH
Mac

[Viatron]

The one on that page is the one that T fitted i think, im wimping out though and fitting this
http://www.t7design.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=180

[Paul L]

Replies:
Scottie22 - Welcome to the "other side".
I do actually have a big tent that I can set up and work in at the bottom of my garden.
Although I can't set it up at the moment as there is a big storm due tomorrow night.

You can see photos of this micro heater at the bottom of Post #568 above.
It is available in at Demon-Tweeks.co.uk for £77.49 + £7.50 delivery.
Mister Towed says it gives out more than enough heat to keep him warm.

You can also read his brilliant build thread here:
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=3113

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Spitfire Bulkhead Repairs:
I cut the circles inside my house, slightly oversized, so I can give them a final trim outside at the bulkhead.



I didn't want to wake the neighbours with my angle grinder first thing on a Saturday morning.
But when I came back from a family trip out, it was raining in the afternoon.

Still, I did have a dry working area that could easily be measured in inches...



This was enough space for me to clean up the metal circles ready for welding.



I quite like the fact I am recycling parts of the old Spitfire body shell back into the bulkhead.

Think Twice, Cut Once: - Today's lesson was planning ahead.
I wanted to weld up the 4 holes used to bolt the heater into place.
So I cut up some small metal squares which were a real pain to clean up.



Plan B:
What I should have done was clean up the whole piece & then cut the squares out.



This allowed me to cut just the right shape, but this was very small.



Plan C:
Use a much bigger section of metal, put it behind the hole & weld it in place.
( I will just use a thin layer of filler to smooth over the surface. )



Eventually the rain stopped and I could start welding, although it was quite windy.

The big heater hole actually has 4 "pin" holes around it, which just needed a blob of weld to fill in.
( Not a great photo, sorry. )



By the time I had welded everything in place (& fixed the holes I blew through the metal) I had this.

Before:



After:





Obviously a bit of tidying up still to do.

Next up were the holes for the wiper motor and screen wash, as seen here on my original donor.



( Not sure why this photo is so small???)

And this is the before and after on my second hand Spitfire bulkhead.





A bit more grinding and a layer of filler will hopefully make this look a lot better.

Thanks all for today, hopefully I will get a bit more done tomorrow.

Cheers, Paul.