New Sammio Alpha build

Yorkshireman · #1 1st December 2017, 01:58

Hello to the Sammio Forum. My name is Dave, I thought it was time to introduce myself as I am about to start building an Alpha. I have Now have a suitable doner and hopfully some spare time over Christmas to get started and the spitfire up to mot passing spec.

lancelot link · #2 1st December 2017, 06:27

Welcome aboard ...Good luck with the build Dave and please keep us updated with lots of pictures ..we like pictures !

micky1mo · #3 1st December 2017, 11:20

Yorkshireman Again many thanks for your order and welcome to the forum.
As I have said the kettle is always on when your down this way.
Your body conversion will be layed-up in January so plenty of time to prepare your car.

Lancelot link I'll be making sure plenty of pictures will be added.

Paul L · #4 1st December 2017, 16:43

Yorkshireman - Welcome to the forum Dave.

Although the photos are very small for some reason, it looks like you have a good donor car.

Good luck, Paul.

Yorkshireman · #5 2nd December 2017, 00:56

Thanks for the warm welcome and the invitation Mike I am to be down your way next year. I do intend to photograph the build. It was the main reason I visited the mad about kit cars website watching the progress of the sammio spyder various builds. New photos of the doner once l get home. I think the limited wifi in the Norwegian sea resulted in small photos.

Yorkshireman · #6 19th February 2018, 22:34

Well after a busy Christmas moving houses for 2 of the offspring and called back to work early. I thought it was time to clear the garage and make ready for the Alpha body.

froggyman · #7 20th February 2018, 07:14

Wow! so you have converted your Spitfire to a Herald and dropped an Alpha body on top!!! LOL. It is amazing how family and work seems to get in the way when one has a project in mind. Good luck.

lancelot link · #8 20th February 2018, 20:10

Looks like the Alpha has regressed to a Spyder too ....

Yorkshireman · #9 20th February 2018, 23:05

The Sammio was an unexpected project that I was lucky to get last May. I had just completed a spitfire rebuild and was ready to move on to a new project. I believe I am the third owner of the spyder, I bought it from I guy called Fabio but I am unable to find any previous history of the body origins or build number.

I was needing the build to be complete for July this year and I realised this was not going to be possible with the time and finish I was wanting for the sammio. So I ordered a Alpha spyder and got a good spitfire base to give me the best chance of completing the project on time. Fingers crossed it will be swapped over and into the garage by the weekend.

Paul L · #10 21st February 2018, 06:45

Dave - I remember a Fabio building a 2CV Sammio.
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=5623

Hope things come together now for your Alpha build, as July is a very short deadline.

Good luck, Paul.

wharfedale · #11 22nd February 2018, 14:49

I have a spitfire spyder, I bought as an abandend project, I understand the body had to be legthened as a spit is 4 inch longer in wheelbase than the herald

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ie33tt2lug...00.26.jpg?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pzls0aque7..._9793.JPG?dl=0

PS im in otley if you need any help or info, Keith wharfedale@btinternet.com

wharfedale · #12 22nd February 2018, 14:53

https://www.dropbox.com/s/akwnemfdiw...875.JPG?dl=0l]

these are the seats I had made

oxford1360 · #13 22nd February 2018, 16:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by wharfedale

I have a spitfire spyder, I bought as an abandend project, I understand the body had to be legthened as a spit is 4 inch longer in wheelbase than the herald

A Herald wheelbase is ~8" longer than a Spit - ~91.5" cf ~83". I say "approximately" because anyone who has worked on early Triumphs no longer believes in exact measurements.

wharfedale · #14 22nd February 2018, 18:12

its 4 inch wheelbase the leghth my be 8 inch, my body was streached by 4 inch at the bonnet, and the seats were a real problem, no buckett seats would fit, i had bench seats made, ill try to find the build thread, Keith

oxford1360 · #15 22nd February 2018, 18:25

If it is a Spitfire chassis and it is longer than a Herald then it has been stretched. This could cause you problems come MOT-time.

A Herald is definitely notably longer than a Spit.

lancelot link · #16 22nd February 2018, 18:48

As Oxford says ...Spitfire is definitely around 7.5'' shorter in the wheelbase than a Herald or Vitesse ...I recently fitted a Cordite Spitfire body onto a Herald chassis and have had to stretch the bonnet around 7-8'' ....

The only approx. 4'' stretch I remember was Chevaux , the 2CV version of the Spyder body that was around 95'' wheelbase ...the scar from the extension is pretty obvious on the Chevaux bonnet , so you may have one of those ...
If the chassis has been stretched to compensate for the longer wheelbase , I would at the very least make the stretch not very obvious and get the V5c amended , if not already , whilst no inspections are being done ...

Seats not fitting is odd ..its snug on a Triumph but they definitely fit a standard chassis unless an extra outrigger has been added or side rails pinched in etc ...

micky1mo · #17 22nd February 2018, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by oxford1360

If it is a Spitfire chassis and it is longer than a Herald then it has been stretched. This could cause you problems come MOT-time.

More importantly you might have some problems with wheel alignment!!
Chopping a chassis is not simple and can be very difficult to get right.

Mister Towed · #18 22nd February 2018, 19:57

Could it be a 2CV chassis? That would explain: A/ why it's 4" longer than a Herald and B/ why the seats wouldn't fit as you can't lower the tin snail's floor. Just a thought.

lancelot link · #19 22nd February 2018, 20:20

could be ..very distinctive chassis ...a picture would confirm ..

Yorkshireman · #20 22nd February 2018, 22:39

Hello Keith thanks for the offer of help and advice. Otley should be in my range once the sammio is roadworthy at least driving down the Chevin.

After doing a trial fit of the sammio body today on the herald and storing it on the spitfire tonight. I agree with everyone else the herald is longer. This also confirms to me that the sammio body I have is for a herald and not a 2cv as I found out the previous owner had plans to fit it to a 2cv chassis. I will try and upload some photos tomorrow.