Spyder number 125

[Mick O'Malley]

Originally Posted by Lucky@LeMans

Sending the paperwork to K and R at the DVLA speeds up the process as it goes straight to the Kit and Rebuilt department.

I sent mine (registered) to K&R the Friday before last. Not sure if my receipt for the body will be accepted, I truthfully indicated that it was paid for with a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label. No picture of the Spitfire as it was bought as a chassis (I didn't for the A352 either). Here are the two 'it just has to look like a car' pictures I submitted. I respectfully asked for Make: Triumph, Model: Monaco. Time will tell .





Regards, Mick

[Paul L]

Slartibartfast – Looks like you are making great progress.

My footwells were lucky to get a coat of paint.



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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

…I think that very soon I will reach the "point of no return" when I finally bond the shell to the frame ..... Any help/advice/tips ....

Do a ‘dry run’ to test how the bodyshell will be held in place after the bonding paste has been used.

I ended up with a mix of tie down straps and breeze blocks on mine.



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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

… I need to work out how I am going to hinge the bonnet so any tips most welcome…

I shamelessly stole/copied the ‘scissor hinge’ design that Mister Towed used on his Spyder.

There were two parts, one attached to the framework bonded inside the grille opening.



The other was welded to the chassis (in line with the re-body bracket rules).



I know there are differences between the Spitfire and Herald chassis,

But I added a "bonnet stop" to the bottom of my hinges.



Here are some more photos of the hinges in action (I did fit a shorter bolt eventually ).





Event today, I still enjoy opening the bonnet on hinges I made myself.



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Originally Posted by slartibartfast

… it looks like I need to be ready for an MOT within a month of getting it re-registered….

I’d echo the comments from Lucky and Mick about no link between V5C & MOT.

I got my updated V5C back in Jan.15 and the car didn’t get its first MOT until Aug.16!

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Hope that helps.

Good luck, Paul.

[slartibartfast]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guys. Most helpful; now that we are in Lockdown 2 I can't go and see my friendly engineer and pick up some scraps to make a bonnet hinge. Never mind .... plenty to get on with. Pictures to follow.
Slarti

[slartibartfast]

YGRS1300[1].jpgWell here we are again. A long break without any action .....Covid or COLD WEATHER? Still not sorted out the bonnet hinges but have noted your ideas. However been working on the dashboard with the help of our son and son-in-law. Got the water temp & oil pressure gauges working, now for the Tacho & fuel gauge. Speedo will have to wait a while. Then I will reach the point of NO RETURN when the body gets bonded. Wish me luck

[Jaguartvr]

What instruments did you use?

[Paul L]

slartibartfast - Now this is what I call a wooden dash.

Good luck reaching the point of no return.

Paul.

[slartibartfast]

I have used Smiths instruments with a magnolia face which I purchased from Europa Specialist Spares. I now have the tacho and fuel gauges working but need a little advice on the speedo. This came with a XS108B3PAL2 proximity sensor which didn't come with any instructions. I'm fairly confident on mounting this close to the bolt heads on the prop shaft but wondering how I should connect the 3 wires. The brown wire is positive, which I'm guessing should go through a fuse. The wires are all very thin and I'm thinking of something like a 1 or 2 amp in line fuse. I've done some on line research but can't seem to get any answers. Can anyone out there offer some advice. ?

[Mister Towed]

Sorry, Slarti, can't help with the electronic speedo, I'm afraid it's a bit high-tech for me.

Nice to see some progress though

[slartibartfast]

been having some good productive time in "the office". All dials working including the speedo.
I'm just wondering if I can cut these pesky outriggers off as I keep bashing my knees against them. Any advice here most welcome. I've not yet registered with DVLA yet.
I have decided that, as the Herald body was fixed to the frame by a series of bolts I am going to adopt the same method with appropriate shock absorbing grommets. I'll post some pictures of my ideas before I go ahead.
Off to Goodwood Revival tomorrow. Not acting this year ..... going as a spectator.
Onward and upward

[Mister Towed]

Hi Slarty, sorry, but I didn't see your post until this morning.

The DVLA rebody rules say that you need the original, unmodified chassis in order to keep the registration number. Most of us took that literally and had the vehicle inspected with the boot outriggers sticking out of the back of the body, but I believe at least one builder sought clarification from DVLA after cutting them off beforehand. The result, as I recall, was that you can't remove anything structural from between the axles, but you can remove or add 'brackets' anywhere that are for body mounting, and outriggers that are outside of the wheelbase can also go.

Just to be sure, if you're at the stage where your body is fitted to the chassis and the engine's in, I'd get it through the registration process asap with them still fitted, then have a ceremonial chopping off once you have the new V5. They do make a very satisfying clang when they hit the ground!

Hope that helps and sorry I missed you at Goodwood, hope you enjoyed it, I certainly did. I even managed to perfect the Jeremy Clarkson 'smug face' look while taking selfies beside the track...

[Lucky@LeMans]

That's my understanding too. You can add to the existing chassis, such as frame work to support the body, brackets foe engine/ gearbox / flip fronts etc. Taking away is limited to in front of the axle line on the front and behind the axle line at the rear.

[Paul L]

Slarti - Apologies for the delay in replying.

The following is the clarification that ACE got from the DVLA about chassis mods.

ACE (Association of Car Enthusiasts)

VOSA have provided the following response to your questions;

Chassis.

Q) What is classed as chassis? Is it purely the outer longitudinal rails or are the crossmembers between these also a part of the chassis?

A) Chassis should be taken to include crossmembers.

Q) We know that cutting or shortening a chassis is classed as modification but is this relative to the vehicle wheelbase i.e. the chassis must remain uncut between the 2 axles but anything forward of front or aft of rear suspension mounts can be removed?

A) Chassis includes the full original length of the longitudinal members including to the front of the front axle and to the rear of the rear axle.

Q) Is it acceptable to remove bodymounts, which contribute no strength to the chassis when changing a body to a different style /make?

A) Yes, providing they are additional to and are not an integral part of the chassis structure.

Q) Is it acceptable to strengthen a chassis by the addition of boxing plates a process that involves turning a 3-sided open chassis rail into a fully enclosed 'box' chassis?

A) Yes, providing the original structure remains unchanged.

Hope that helps.

Good luck, Paul.

[slartibartfast]

Oh dear...... I've only just caught up with your replies having done some further research. I've now chopped off about a foot from the boot support outriggers and re-glassed the hole I had previously cut in the fibreglass.
That being said, I've had a good few days in the "office" and tidied up the exhaust and bolted the body to the frame with "suitable" flexible mountings so that, hopefully the shell won't crack when I go over a bump.
I've started to prep the bodywork prior to painting. The look I'm going for is a sympathetically restored "barn-find" so that some of the paint undercoat shows through as if it had been over polished. I could spray it but was thinking of putting primer and top coat on with a roller and rubbing flat before polishing. Any comments from some of you who've done this before.
Target now is definitely next Spring

[Paul L]

Slarti – This thread inspired me to paint my car with a brush.

Unfortunately, all the photos seem to have been lost (Photobucket ransom?).

https://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/threads/...g-a-car.98714/

Where I went wrong was using a synthetic paint, rather than Rustoleum.

My paint went on very shiny, but would not sand back to a smooth and shiny finish.

If rough and ready is what you are looking for, my trials and tribulations start on this page.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...=3492&page=156

Good luck, Paul.

[slartibartfast]

Thanks Paul. Truly inspirational. I had better get some paint ordered and erect some sort of tent in my carport. Hand painting seems to be the way forward.
Pictures to follow.

[Paul L]

Slarti – There is another example of a ‘roller’ painted car here:

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...t=4179&page=11

Good luck, Paul.

[deni]

Hi Slarti,

I agree, hand painting is the way forward. Paul L's experience and tips are great help, so thanks for sharing Paul. Good luck with it and I am looking forward to seeing the result.

Deni.

[Mister Towed]

Sorry to disagree with the consensus here, but spraying gives a much better finish than brush/roller imho.

All you need is a £100 compressor, a cheap(ish) gun - mine cost about £150, a bit of 'net research for hints'n'tips and some sort of booth - a domestic garage or even a large tent/enclosed gazebo will do and Bob's your Mother's Brother.

On a fibreglass car start with a couple of coats of etch primer then a couple of coats of high-build primer. Once that's all flatted back, finish
with five or six coats of cellulose as it won't crack like modern two-pack will on a flexible base (I swear by Jawel paints for amateur use), then cut back with finer and finer wet'n'dry, Farecla G3 and a final polish and you'll be amazed at the finish that you can achieve.

Both these were sprayed at home by me with budget equipment and no formal training -





Well worth the effort.

[Paul L]

Just to be clear, if I had somewhere to use a spray gun, I would have.

Without doubt, Mr T achieved a great standard of paint on his cars.

Mr T has also seen my car in person and confirm the paint is rough.

Unfortunately, I had a sloping driveway that I couldn't enclose without annoying my wife and neighbours.

I did use a tent in my back garden for the bonnet and boot lid, but the wind crushed it.



Whatever option you choice, there is great pride in saying you painted the car yourself.

Good luck, Paul.

[deni]

Thanks for your advice Mr.T and your comments Paul. I agree, the most important thing to me too is to try to do it myself, which ever way.
I like the results Mr.T achieved, and no doubt spraying is superior to hand painting, but my intention to hand paint is mainly governed by the lack of space...also, I'm so far from painting stage and a lot change by then...

Slarti -Good luck with painting! I am looking forward to seeing the results.

Cheers, Deni