Another Cordite Is Born ...

[lancelot link]

Another significant step forward Paul ...your progress , attitude , enthusiasm , build conditions etc. always amazes me when I see what you achieve.
I applaud your efforts ...I do worry about the amount of bonding paste you are using sometimes ...but your repairs and cuts are strong , vee'd out correctly etc. so hopefully not too much cracking will appear after a bit of use ...if you are still planning on the 'racetrack refugee' look , then a few cracks won't matter anyway ! leave them , touch them in , put a sticker on them ...whatever ! The main thing , as the 3 Stooges keep proving :-) , is keep driving them , using the cars as I intended and paint and body blemishes really don't matter ..

Originally Posted by Paul L

Mr T - The magazine article also mixed up the Sammio Spyder and Cordite models.
( I think this was because Swifty has a Spyder badge on the back of his car. )

I've always tried to be fair in pointing out that the Spyder was a much better kit than the Cordite.

And Swifty has the Cordite MkII body shell that Mac spend a bit of time straightening out.

In fact, I am pretty sure that even I would have finished building a Spyder by now.

I know you like to keep the facts straight , so here's some info for you ...
You are correct , the Spyder was/is a better body , my recent experiences of them has pointed out that the earlier versions , probably first 30 or so , at a guess , were better than the later ones . The one I have just done is an earlier one and the arches are decent , less bodywork issues etc.. I'd say mould fatique played a part in later bodies being not so great , especially wheel arch flanges etc. Obviously they don't pass the tape measure test any better.... Incidentally , I am working on a D type at the moment which is moulded directly from a RAM ...front wings , passenger side 2'' wider than drivers side at arch centre , 1'' narrower at front edge , rear deck pissed , cockpit out of square etc etc...

Swifty's is a MK2 body that Mac did spend a lot of time 'straightening' out ...

I don't know what went wrong with the Cordite ..I took my eye off the ball for many reasons and allowed the already mid range standards to drop and staff to take the piss ..not excusing myself as the buck stops at me ..but we failed you with the Cordite range.

You may be interested to know that Swifty probably got a rawer deal but hasn't made the changes in direction quite like you and doesnt have your build restrictions , when the Ribble moulds came back down this way to Tribute , after inspecting the original moulds and the Mac buck and moulds supplied to them ..they opted to destroy the Mac version as it was even worse ! If you ordered a Cordite from Tribute , you would get a 1st generation body.
If you order a Miglia from Tribute , you get a first generation Cordite with slightly different rear wings and a fixed 'long nose'

None of the above is aimed to start an argument or try and justify the shit deal you got or undermine the heroic achievement you have made in sorting out the pile of crap we supplied you ..just putting some facts on the table ..

[Paul L]

Lancelot Link - Cheers Gary.

All my problems with the Sammio Cordite are in the past & as the saying goes… "S**t happens."

These days, I am focussing on completing my unique Triumph Swordfish 1500, that is finally coming together.

But just to pick up on a couple of your other points:

My 'belt & braces' approach means, that most areas where bonding paste has been used are also covered in fibreglass.

I hope driving the car for a while in just primer will allow all the cracks to appear before final paint.
In fact, I plan to be "driving Miss Daisy" on the way to the MOT station just to ensure the car stays in one piece.
After that, I expect to hit a few pot holes & speed humps just to shake everything up a bit.

For the final finish, I am currently contemplating the "nice paint on a body shell that has had a hard life look".
As there are so many undulations everywhere, I really don't think I could ever get the body truly straight.
However, I could at least get the undulations smooth and then live with the "slightly dented" look.
After all, an original racing car of that period would simply be hammered roughly back into shape after a prang.

This is the approach I took when I painting my racing bike, complete with dented petrol tank.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

RedRatBike - I knew I had posted some MZ racing photos before, but couldn't find the post when I replied to you the other day.

But I found it today to get the photo above, and you can see more photos at the bottom of this post.

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...&postcount=763

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Monday Update
There will be a proper update later on this evening, as I'm just inside now waiting for the latest batch of filler to harden.

See you later, Paul.

[Paul L]

Monday - Part 1:
Couldn't believe it was still chucking it down with rain this morning.

Thankfully, it eventually dried out enough for me to continue sanding down the driver's side.



Note:
I am leaving the bottom corner of the bonnet for now, until I've extended the body shell "lip" to the left of it.



While the filler was setting I applied some fibreglass matting to:

- Bottom corner of body shell extension.



- Rope on inside of bonnet curve



- Rope on inside of body shell extension
( Still not easy to get a decent photo in here. )



- Underside of the joins on the horizontal panel on the body shell extension.
( Even harder to get a decent photo of this. )



- Building up the "curve" on the body shell to match the bonnet.



End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Monday - Part 2:
Applied some normal filler to the leading edge of the arch.





Plus a section towards the trailing edge.



Which was extended to the rear edge of the bonnet.



Leaving the whole thing looking like this.



Note:
I actually thought it was going to rain just as I was putting the last bits of filler on.
But by the time I got back from Sainsbury's the sun was beating down.

Which made the sanding very hot work indeed.



Trimmed off the bottom corner of the body shell extension until it vaguely resembled the other side.



Drilled a few small holes along the original body shell edge to help the filler "stick".



Then applied fibreglass filler to build up the edge.





Cover the joins along the bonnet return lip.





And build up the bottom edge of the body shell extension.



End of Part 2…

[Paul L]

Monday - Part 3:
When that was set, it was time for yet more sanding down.









Unfortunately, I didn't build up the body shell edge far enough.



Still, the patch work quilt was definitely taking shape.



Which meant I couldn't resist any longer and the etch primer just had to come out.









Final job of the day was to slap on another round of fibreglass filler.





No time left to sand this down as there was a HUGE mess to clean up & wash down.

So until next time take care, Paul.

PS
I am now off to have a well earned cold beer.

[Roadster]

Almost time for top coat

I think a few coats of high build primer and a pair of extra hands to help you block sand.
Then the top coats can start

[Paul L]

Roadster: - Sorry, but I will not be tempted to apply a topcoat until after the car's first MOT.

It has been a shame to see a few issues with new paint cracking on some of the Tributes "next door".

But compared to those kits, my Frankenstein Hillbilly approach has left me more potential issues than most.

So I plan to rack up the miles in primer until I know the body work is "stable".

Cheers, Paul.

[Roadster]

Lets start a sweep stake.

I have seen the car and we have all followed your build.
Im betting you will have no cracking in the body.

[Paul L]

Roadster - Will you stop counting my chickens before they are hatched?

There is still a lot of work to do before the MOT, so at this point I don't want to even think about the work required after the MOT.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tuesday - Part 1:
With rain forecast for the afternoon, I tried to make the morning count…

First job was to double check the centre of the arch, as it looked like it had a couple of "creases" in this photo.



Thankfully this area is actually smooth & the "creases" are just a trick of the light due to a mixture of sanding marks, shadows & different shades of primer.

As here is a photo of the same area taken this morning.



Then I sanded down the fibreglass filler applied last night.



Next was a layer of normal filler.







Then more sanding.





Note: I still need to fix the closing panel between the return lip of the body shell extension and the Spitfire bulkhead.



I may have been a bit too enthusiastic about getting the etch primer on, as I was left with some runs.



But despite this, the etch primer really does make a HUGE difference.





Note: There is more work required on this horizontal panel too.



End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Tuesday - Part 2:
Then it was time to get the wheel back on before I could lower the car back down to the ground.



This allowed me to push it out of the way so I could finish off cleaning up the mess.





Then it was the moment of truth, as I moved the car back onto the road to see how the arch looked…

Notes:
- I've left the small section of fibreglass in place to act as a spacer, as I still need to sort out the locating pin panel.
- You can see where I need to continue trimming the rear of the bonnet to get an even gap.
- The shadow from the arch makes the gap above the tyre look bigger than it is.



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Before #1:



After:



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Before #2:



After:



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Unfortunately, I didn't notice this next photo was blurred until after the covers had gone back on.

But there you have it, the whole car is now the same colour all over (a dusty grey) for the first time since I started chopping it up.



Hopefully this photo gives you an idea of the slight "coke bottle" effect of wider front and rear arches compared to the central cockpit section.



I know there is still some work left to do to finish of this arch area, but that is more than enough progress for now.

Unfortunately, there will be no car work for a few days now to give me a chance to catch up on other stuff.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

[swifty]

Looking great now with the mods you've done to the arches, you must be well chuffed Paul, wish i lived closer and i would of called around for a look.

[fatbloke]

That looks fantastic.

[oxford1360]

Brilliant, Paul. All the effort with the bonnet and arches has really paid off. Those before and after shots should make you very happy. The shape is distinctive and I really like it.

[Paul L]

Swifty - Cheers, I think "chuffed" is a great way to describe how proud I am of what I have managed to achieve.

Hopefully, one of these days I can head North & you can head South and we'll meet somewhere in the middle.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

FatBloke - Thanks, I hope that my attempt at hand painting this BRG works out as well as the yellow on your MX250.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Oxford - Cheers.

Adjusting the body shell to fit around the Spitfire bulkhead was originally a 'function over form' decision.

In fact, at the time, I was taking a HUGE leap of faith when I did this to the original Cordite body shell.







But there was no going back after that and now it all just adds to the unique nature of my build.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Side By Side Comparison:
Just for fun, and not to cause any OCD meltdowns, here is a chance to compare each side.

Now, deep down, I know the front driver/rear passenger arches look better than the rear driver/front passenger ones.

But this build was never going to achieve perfection, symmetry, or the high standards of builders who actually know what they are doing.

So these days I simply reflect on the fact this is my first car project… built outside… on a sloping driveway… and I love it!

I wanted my build to evoke the spirt of the racing cars of the 1950s and I am very happy that I have finally achieved that.

Even in its current "to be completed" state it is already turning heads and getting great feedback every time I get it on the road.

Triumph Swordfish 1500





Notes:
- Driveway "tilt" is increasing the distance between the arches and tyres in the photo above.
- The body shell extensions are actually a lot close in size than they appear in the photos.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be doing other stuff, so I'd better go.

Take care, Paul.

[Roadster]

I was bored Paul - So I gave a go at visualising how the swordfish will look

[Mister Towed]

Nice. Erm, are we allowed to use continental sevens now we've left the EU?

[Paul L]

Roadster - Thanks Mark, that really confirms I've made the right colour choice.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Mr T - Don't worry, I bought my numbers before the referendum, so I can still use them.



Jokes aside, despite the fact I actually bought 4 roundels I am only going to fit 2 of them.
- One on each side of the cockpit, as seen in Roadster's image above.
- Whilst there is room on the bonnet, the yellow nose band will stand out more if there isn't a yellow number on there too.
- But there is just too much going on at the rear end with the twin humps and boot cut out for a roundel to fit there.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cheers, Paul.

[lancelot link]

I expect that's the crossing out line that numbers are meant to have when race cars are used on the road ....... :-)

[oxford1360]

It's only the MSA that insists that numbers are crossed out when driving to and from circuits for competition. There is no legal requirement to do so.

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by oxford1360

It's only the MSA that insists that numbers are crossed out when driving to and from circuits for competition. There is no legal requirement to do so.

Spot on Ox. There is no law prohibiting racing numbers on the road, it's just an MSA regulation.