NIKE 55's G46 BUILD...

[Charman.tech]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

I wouldn't get too depressed about the speed of Patoune's builds - he just demonstrates to us amateurs what a pro going at it full time with a properly equipped workshop and a dedicated team of specialists can achieve.

For us part-time amateurs who have to make it up as we go along, a couple of years is the likely timescale. And why not. It is, after all, just a hobby for us.

What's French for Superman!

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Charman.tech

What's French for Superman!

er..Monsieur Superman?

Had fun today:

Phase I:- Removal of two Land Rovers and a farm trailer from workshop space. Complete 16/04/2013

More fun to follow:-

Phase II. Removal of rubbish, sweeping out etc. Re-positioning existing Land Rover project.

Phase III. Erection of temporary structure, work benches, wall mounted tool racks. Installation of mobile work cubes (more on those later). Positioning of generator, welder, compressor and lighting, seating.

Phase IV. Recovery of G46 to workshop.

Hopefully all in the next two weeks.

[Nike55]

Phase II - Halfway there. Cleared about 4 cubic tons of leaves that had accumulated in the 'workshop' (rented barn)..

...fell short of re-positioning the Landy (weighs about 3 tons with all my tools etc locked in the back.)

I did drag out the seats to take a first look since purchase (sight unseen in 2012, at LL's suggestion...)



A little shabby but I'm keen that they are not 'over restored' as I think I'm going for the 'distressed look' with this build.



They're roughly the right shape and size, a little deep, but plenty to work with. Will throw them in the car when I get it to the farm (a couple of weeks) and post a snap...

MG Y Type apparently...

[Mister Towed]

Nice looking seats. Not sure how deep the G46 cockpit is, but I'd expect them to need a fair bit of modification to the squab and mounts to get them low enough to use.

Are you going to have them reupholstered or will you keep the worn covers for the authentic fifties look?

[Charman.tech]

Love the seats, fully aged and the correct style, lucky man, as Towed says just a little modification to the lower frame and hey presto! might have some issue with the width but they look the part.

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

Nice looking seats. Not sure how deep the G46 cockpit is, but I'd expect them to need a fair bit of modification to the squab and mounts to get them low enough to use.

Are you going to have them reupholstered or will you keep the worn covers for the authentic fifties look?

Will need surgery to the squabs. There's two layers of springs and horsehair with a large gap between layers so plenty of room for manoeuvre, but they are 'armchair' standard of comfort. Might replace the floor too...

They are pretty worn / split / torn / damaged and I need to bring them back 'from the edge'. The horsehair is turning to dust - I may fit them with new covers then 'age' them to match the car........he said.

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Charman.tech

Love the seats, fully aged and the correct style, lucky man, as Towed says just a little modification to the lower frame and hey presto! might have some issue with the width but they look the part.

To be honest I don't think they'll take much (ab)use. They got pretty damp with the car so there's quite a bit of rot going on. Could sympathetically restore them, but my first thought is to strip /cut & shut / then reupholster and 'distress'.

Not sure about width. Will post a few more pictures once car in workshop sometime in early May.

[Paul L]

Nike55 - It will be interesting to see your work area when it is all set up.

I take it some of your barn preparation work will keep the elements out?

Good luck, Paul.

[Nike55]

Hi Paul L, I thought 2" drain pipe and B&Q dust covers might do the trick - cheaply.

I'm almost enclosed except for the front (but now have tarpaulins covering the gates) I just need to work out a roof to stop the rain/wind..

Had no chance trying to weld up the Landy last year - too wet and the wind just howls through.

There's no power though. Have a generator but share the yard with horses so can't make too much noise when people/horses about. Not fair on those that want a quiet afternoon and cannot afford to hack off the owner....

Kudos to those who 'do it in the drive'. I share half a drive with the flat owner downstairs; a posty, who works odd shifts, so out of deference to him can't make any noise nor cover his car in dust nor fumigate his flat with resin.. No rear garden, just a path and a small, rain & wind damaged shed...

[Paul L]

Nike55 - By comparison to your flat, it sounds like my drive is a luxury build location.

[Viatron]

if they are of any use to you i still have 2 full oxblood hides and a tan one left over from my mass leather purchase that i wont now be needing.

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Viatron

if they are of any use to you i still have 2 full oxblood hides and a tan one left over from my mass leather purchase that i wont now be needing.

Hi Viatron, I've pm'd you.

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Nike55 - By comparison to your flat, it sounds like my drive is a luxury build location.

It's funny but I bet there's someone on here worse off than me..someone who built a car in bits in a bathroom shared with 14 families in a terrace somewhere in Barnsley and put it together over a weekend in t'corporation car park..

...probably had to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. Had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when they got home their Dad would slice them in two wit' bread knife....

[Mister Towed]

Aye. And you tell the young folks that today and they won't believe you. No they won't.

[Nike55]

Quick update..

Nothing much - but at least managed to get the Landy re-positioned

(Have you ever tried pushing a dead Landy up a gentle slope? My back is screwed for Sunday..)



..at least I now have 5m x 5m to play with, workshop wise.

Oh, and a single Reliant Scimitar steel wheel (with 195/70 R14 tyre) weighs 18 kgs...not many people know that ..and/or care....

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by Nike55

... Have you ever tried pushing a dead Landy up a gentle slope? ...

Now that you mention it... no.

Wasn't there a tractor nearby that could have given the Land Rover a gentle nudge?

Good luck getting your workshop up & running & your car inside it.

Cheers, Paul.

[Nike55]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Wasn't there a tractor nearby that could have given the Land Rover a gentle nudge?

Thanks Paul.

Sadly no, although I do have a friend with a Clydesdale who'll do anything for a carrot (the Clydesdale that is) but she wasn't around.

[Nike55]

Work has got in the way of my build - a couple of months of low paid stuff, which will help the build budget but gives me zero build time at present.

Sadly I'm now spending (too much) time looking at the design and considering how things might be improved.

Having driven the donor Scimitar I now have a list of 'improvements', which seem to be the same as everyone else building the G46...

Cut out floor and replace with flat floor
Extend steering column
Extend gear lever (remote)
Move pedals back
Change scuttle shape
Change shape of and bond doors in place
Move cockpit back
Change the front wing shape
Reshape /replace head fairings
Redesign and bond 'flip front' to car and cut out bonnet aperture.
Alter radiator aperture
Change the wheel arch shape
Change exhaust system (as front silencer boxes normally sit in depression under seats in f/glass floor).
Alter rear valence (no exhaust 'outlets')
Move fuel tank
Revise 'boot' arrangement

The first six items purely relate to ergonomics and fix problems with the Scimitar's shallow and narrow cockpit area, made worse by the G46's inwardly curving doors and scuttle / dash shape.

Obviously there will be internal structure changes to the bodywork and a new rear floor area.

I think I will completely strip the car, galvanise the chassis after welding and re-build from the ground up, so this will be a very slow long-term build as money/time allows.

May be more next month.

[Nike55]

Having seen Mr Towed's thread on body prep and voids, although a long way from prepping I thought I'd spend an hour with the heat gun..



I started with the boot lid before progressing to get the feel for the duration and distance of the gun from the surface.

The boot lid was fine but there are several areas around the car that will need repairing - amongst the many minor holes, scratches and cracks..

[Viatron]

Nigel, were all those invisible until you used the heat gun?