Davecymru's Miglia build :)

[davecymru]

Cheers matey.

What a great photo-comparison, thanks for that memory jog! Plus it made me smile on an otherwise gloomy Friday morning

Given what they show, i think i'll raise the Miglia front end slightly just to level things out for the moment and then re-evaluate the rear end after a few weeks of driving

As far as the suspension on the Miglia is concerned i have set all of the shocks to their softest setting to start with and I'm also a lot happier knowing exactly what size/rating my springs are this time around as it was a bit "suck-it-and-see" with the Sammio!
Also i now know Merlin Motorsport have a huge range of different springs in stock at very reasonable prices and are only 15mnis from my office.....

[ufo17]

Hi Davecymryu can you tell me how to find the thread for your sammio build it looks fantastic. I have looked but can't find it. Miglia's looking great. cheers ufo17.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by ufo17

Hi Davecymryu can you tell me how to find the thread for your sammio build it looks fantastic. I have looked but can't find it. Miglia's looking great. cheers ufo17.

Go to the Sammio/Ribble page. Click 'Views' on the right hand side of the page to rearrange the individual threads. DC's build thread will then be about nine down from the top.

[Paul L]

UFO - Or you can look at the first post on the "Useful Info" sticky (On the Sammio/Ribble Page) where there is a photo of Dave's car and a "Click Here" link.



Actually, allow me...

davecymru - Click Here

[davecymru]

Cheers all, and thanks Paul.

UFO - you may also be interested in my Sammio running report thread:
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=3505
It's along the same lines as the "Mr Towed on the Road" thread, but was only over the space of a year and I wasn't quite as imaginative with my thread naming


And bringing things up to date, this week has been all about the bodywork. The first round of filling and sanding has gone well and I've done the front-to-back seams. I even blasted them over with a bit of primer when they were done just to perk up my spirits!



Then it was more filling on the rear


and on the front edge of the bonnet


Then out came the fibreglass filler as I had to rectify a boo boo I made fitting one of the rear lights. A cardboard tube was made the same diameter as the hole I want. That was taped in place and some card taped behind the remaining gap. Then in was glooped the filler


Then I used the remaining mixed fibreglass filler to build up the top of the passengers door to the same height as the cockpit


more to come...

[davecymru]

There are 4 fabrication tasks that I've been putting off, but I've got to the point where they are the 4 main fabrication tasks left:
1) Make a grill! mumblemumblemumblemumble.....
2) Fit the chrome mesh to the side vents
3) Fit the door locks properly
4) Do something with the filler cap

Seeing as I've been doing bodywork and seeing as it could have been the most involved task, I decided to get no.4 out of the way!

So on the Miglia the fuel tank sits much further back than my Spyder, so the fuel filler is in a much more angled section of bodywork.
My initial idea was to sink it slightly in order to keep it horizontal, either with:
A) a lowered, bonded and melded in fibreglass section
or
b) a fabricated metal panel that would angle from the front to the back but would bolt on top of the shell.

In order to get the filler cap low enough and still able to open here's the hole I ended up with!!



I didn't like this!

So I've gone with option
c) Make a panel to allow me to bolt the filler on at an angle and use flexible filler hose! This is CONSIDERABLY simpler than what I was planning!

So some scrap steel was found, a hole cut at the right point and trimmed roughly to cover the big hole I'd made. BTW that hole is, by accident, perfectly sized to access everything on the fuel tank should the need ever arise!


Initial test fit looked good! It allowed the filler to be angled just right without putting any stress on the fibreglass


Any visible bolts on this build are going to be Allen headed, so I drilled some holes at regular intervals and dropped in some bolts and I was very chuffed with the result as it is right in keeping with the look of the interior!


A quick test showed that the plate allows the filler to open without fouling the body shell and it kept everything firmly in place


And here's a good shot demonstrating the angle everything is now at:


Obviously I will tidy things up and then paint it the same colour as the car, but I'm tired now and it's cider-o'clock!
But given what a faff I could have had with fibreglass or welding something, I'm quite chuffed with what I've ended up, how relatively simple it was and how it looks

[Paul L]

Dave - Nice work on the petrol cap.

Can I ask a daft question, are the bolts just biting into the fibreglass?

Good luck, Paul.

[swifty]

Cool solution to what could of been a complicated task.

[davecymru]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Can I ask a daft question, are the bolts just biting into the fibreglass?

The bolts go straight through and then have large penny washers, spring washers and a normal nut on the back.

Obviously it helps if you have a small child to-hand to assist with tightening things up!


Note: While my son was doing the test-run with me on this, i spotted that the rear deck really is quite thin and flexible! Had i spotted this before i fitted the shell then i would have glassed some bracing on the back. But as it stands, and with no wish to upside-down Fiberglas with everything in place, I'm going to have to have a ponder....

[Paul L]

Cheers Dave.

I am really tempted to steal this idea, as the time for drilling the hole for my own filler cap is fast approaching.

Given your last point, I might also add some extra matting around the hole itself while the body shell is still off the frame.

Good luck, Paul.

[PJ GRABOWSKI]

Dave,awesome work so far. The bodies are advertised as 3x 900 layout,in my book that makes them around quarter of one inch(5-6mm) thick. My buddy assures me that is incredibly robust and is more than enough strength wise. So don't worry too much about the flex.

[davecymru]

humm... cheers matey.

No update for a while, but lots of little bits have been going on.

Firstly the doors, the catches are in place and i've decided to go for a pull-cord style handle utilising some of the old brake and clutch cables i have laying around. That needs a sturdy anchor point on the other side of the door, so i got a couple of big UNF bolts and drilled holes through them large enough to loop the cable through:


and then made up some large flat penny washers to spread the load. Job done

Those will now be painted the same colour as the body to make them blend in.


Then it's been lots of sanding / filling / sanding / filling / sanding ...
I'm getting there, with the bonnet now virtually done



And the passengers side door also nearing completion (ignoring the chunk i took out of the gel coat on the body when i accidentally wacked it with the powerfile )



And Towed was right that the rear spring is starting to settle, but i think that some minor work may be needed with the rear of the rear wheelarch? We'll just have to wait and see...

[davecymru]

Can you tell what it is yet?



Yup, seeing as Poole is the black-hole of Grills, i've had to take the plunge and make my own.

ATM i'm still experimenting. i've cut a load of slits ar regular intervals in alloy U channel.
Then attached L section brackets to those and L section bonded to the inside of the shell. The idea being that when it's all complete i could remove it by drilling out the pop rivets (at least that's the theory!)

Top bonded in place



Bottom bonded in place



I'm not going to fit the vertical slats until the shell is painted, so back to my filling and sanding

[Paul L]

Spooky!

I was also playing with my grill today, and it too is an alternative to the beer grate one I ordered that never made it out of the Poole Triangle.

The good news is that your build is really coming together nicely.

Good luck, Paul.

[Mister Towed]

Getting parts out of Poole needs to be done in John Le Carre stylee - you meet in a picturesque European City centre and your money walks slowly across the Town square only once you see that the parts are present and in one piece. And keep scanning the roof tops for snipers as double crosses are common...

[Thurcroft flyer]

glad it's not just me then with the grill and headrest problems

[1iTim]

Me too, i was beginning to think it was personal!
Exercising my patience. Patiently.

Merry christmas all,
T

[davecymru]

It's a shame to hear there are minor supply problems as I don't' think it's any secret that I like Mike and I think he's making a cracking product! And while it is a bit annoying, it did make me chuckle as I had exactly the same issue with the grill for my Sammio.

Back when I did the Sammio I was much more naïve and I worried what I'd do without all of the 'factory' bits. This time around and with a bit of knowledge and experience under my belt it's not a big deal, just a bit irritating.

Right... I have an entire day today to work on the car But first a quick trip to Halfrauds as I'm out of body filler and i'll need more for SWMBO's bl00dy camper van when I'm done with the Miglia! So hopefully loads of progress today

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by davecymru

It's a shame to hear there are minor supply problems as I don't' think it's any secret that I like Mike and I think he's making a cracking product! And while it is a bit annoying, it did make me chuckle as I had exactly the same issue with the grill for my Sammio.

Back when I did the Sammio I was much more naïve and I worried what I'd do without all of the 'factory' bits. This time around and with a bit of knowledge and experience under my belt it's not a big deal, just a bit irritating.

Right... I have an entire day today to work on the car But first a quick trip to Halfrauds as I'm out of body filler and i'll need more for SWMBO's bl00dy camper van when I'm done with the Miglia! So hopefully loads of progress today

My own Poole Triangle mystery involved the amazing vanishing Sammio tonneau cover.

It seems a third party supplier let Gary J down and I did get my money back (eventually). Oh, and as far as I'm aware it was nothing to do with Mike btw.

[garyh]

I drove down to Poole, had breakfast in the caf, put everything in a van, had a chat and drove home, sorted....