The Kebab - Page 23

hurnleft · #**441** 31st August 2016, 20:32

Hi,
I still have the car, sadly it's just sitting in the garage as I don't have time to use it at all.

The headlights just went straight in without any issues or shimming.

The wheels are standard BMW steels with no mods or spacers.

Thanks, Bob.

Mitchelkitman · #**442** 31st August 2016, 20:41

Bob, Thanks for the reply. If I see anyone who wants one I'll send them in your direction...... seriously, I was at MOT a few weeks ago in Norwich, and the tested said he has a Z3, so of course the conversation went to SWB250. He looked on his phone and fell in love! Unfortunately 5k for a kit phased him, so I suspect he's not in the market for a ready-built car.

hurnleft · #**443** 30th September 2016, 13:22

Last week a good friend of mine bought the 250 convertible that Tribute sold. The multitude of questions he's been asking me have, I'm glad to say, renewed my enthusiasm for mine.

So in the last week I've sorted the wiring that had been cut through when the car was painted, refitted some of the plastic trims inside by the doors and rear of the seats and finished off the rear parcel shelf area although I still have one more waffle alloy tops to make where the seatbelt comes through

It all looks a bit bare at the minute but most won't be seen anyway when the seats go back in.

I made the alloy sill kick trims from scrap MGB ones which I cut down. They loose a little of the plastic look of that area.

Next is the alterations to the centre console and gear lever surrounds including hiding the hazard switch in the ash tray.

The more major issue that I'll deal with later is the stress cracking on the front wings. I'll let it develop a bit more then see what the painter thinks is the best way to deal with it.

Cheers, Bob.

jones · #**444** 30th September 2016, 14:13

Bob doesn't the hazard switch have to be visible for the MOT? If not great idea!

hurnleft · #**445** 30th September 2016, 18:40

Fair point but if the ashtray's open, then it is visible so hopefully that will be good enough.
Cheers, Bob.

Jaguartvr · #**446** 30th September 2016, 18:43

Where are the cracks on the front wings?

The carpet that you are using looks to be a pretty good match to the original boot carpet. Where did you get it from?
Thanks

hurnleft · #**447** 30th September 2016, 18:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaguartvr

Where are the cracks on the front wings?

The carpet that you are using looks to be a pretty good match to the original boot carpet. Where did you get it from?
Thanks

Just above / to the front of the air vents. I'm guessing it's a result of the mods to nip and tuck the lines.

First thought was cover them with racing stripes but as I can feel them now, I'd be able to feel them through any vinyl stripes so I'll let them finish growing and decide then.

Jaguartvr · #**448** 30th September 2016, 18:53

I suspected that could be a problem, when I was slicing my wings they felt a bit too stressed which is why I cut two slots to try and relieve the stress.
Could you re slice the cut to relieve some of the stress, maybe cutting two finer slots? You could always cover the inside of the bonnet with some flow coat.
I have had some flow coat mixed as close as possible to the paint, I intend to flow coat the inside of the bonnet and boot so you don't see the raw GRP or the slice cuts.

hurnleft · #**449** 30th September 2016, 18:59

Some good thoughts there, I'll discuss with the painter later.
Cheers, Bob.

Jaguartvr · #**450** 30th September 2016, 19:05

Bodging with style!

Egdik · #**451** 1st October 2016, 18:09

Good to see some photos of the interior -

more would be good with some details, to help those of us facing this task in the months ahead . . .

Jeff H · #**452** 1st October 2016, 19:19

The Interior looks very good Bob,

Pity about the stress cracks, hope fully you will get it sorted out ok.

I did think that their is a lot of weight on the hinge area once you add filler, paint, lights and grille to the bonnet.

hurnleft · #**453** 1st October 2016, 19:21

OK, interior details.
First problem is I'm making it up as I go along so some bits appear and then get changed.

The door trims and dash/console, I've shown the making/altering of earlier. Front kick panels and the side trims around the doors are stock BMW (apart from the XJS chrome grilles over the BMW kick panel speakers.

On top of the rear speaker housings would have been a lot of BMW plastic but this was all beige so was sold a long while ago. I've now made caps on them from some pressed aluminium scrap that I found in the shed.

The headlining, roll cage and rear shelf are all covered in van lining type carpet. There's a cover in the headlining over the high level brake light which is from a Citroen Saxo (possibly) and is also covered in the carpet.

the 2 black strips on the parcel shelf are black painted UPVC house window trim used to cover the carpet joins.

The gap between the rear speaker pods is a piece of wood covered with the patterned vinyl I used on the doors. Along the front of it to cover the edge of the carpet is a piece of angle alloy from a suspended ceiling, painted black.

I've now started on the centre console again as the first version did away with the factory ashtray. This will go back in now for the hazard switch to go in and the alloy ashtray has been moved to the little cubby area further back on the angle. That's from a Matra Bagheera and holds the control for the exhaust.

More details as it happens.

Cheers, Bob.

Jeff H · #**454** 1st October 2016, 19:53

Bob,

Have you got a pic of the headlining please ? and was it a pig to work around the roll bar assembly ?

hurnleft · #**455** 1st October 2016, 20:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff H

Bob,

Have you got a pic of the headlining please ? and was it a pig to work around the roll bar assembly ?

I'll take a couple of photos for you.

Fitting is wasn't too bad once I'd fitted the parcel shelf and rear window surround covering with the rear window in place. Now that was a bugger.

The roll bar actually made it easier to fit as it divided the area into sections.

My main mistake was using spray glue. It made fitting it much easier but when the weather got hot it sagged down so it rested on my head. If just added a load more spray glue but know I'll eventually have to do it again properly.

Jeff H · #**456** 1st October 2016, 20:52

I wonder if gluing the headlining on to a board, then sticking that to the roof would be ok ?

I guess the difficulty is that the roof section curves both ways.

Look forward to the pics.

Mitchelkitman · #**457** 1st October 2016, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurnleft

I'll take a couple of photos for you.

My main mistake was using spray glue. It made fitting it much easier but when the weather got hot it sagged down so it rested on my head. If just added a load more spray glue but know I'll eventually have to do it again properly.

I used high temp contact adhesive (just brushed on) which Quantum Sports Cars supplied for my Quantum and (dare I say) It's been good. A fellow kit - builder has also had good results with evo stick (Surprised me) and that one they used to sell (name escapes me) that you could 'move' ie it didn't bond unless you pressed hard. Neither have melted in the heat of his car.

hurnleft · #**458** 2nd October 2016, 10:57

Here's a few pictures.
The tops to the speaker pods I'm making from a piece of alloy.

The centre console I've covered this morning

The headlining…

I'm sure a professional trimmer would have made a lovely cloth headliner for it, but I enjoy the fiddling about with interior stuff using what I have lying around or can blag from friends.

Cheers, Bob.

Jeff H · #**459** 2nd October 2016, 11:11

Looks very good Bob,

Jeff.

Egdik · #**460** 2nd October 2016, 14:04

Thanks a lot for the info and photos.

Very useful to see how you've done things.

I'm hoping to do some of it before fitting the panels.