Another Cordite Is Born ...

[Paul L]

Scottie - Whilst I still like the original "holey" grille that I was planning to fit…



The mesh grille does look a lot better (& more period), even if the photos struggle to show it properly.

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Mick - That is a brilliantly simple idea, so thanks a lot for posting it.

You will see below that I have put the electrics into the "come back later" pile, but it will be fixed at some point.

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There is quite a bit to cover today, so here goes…

A Plan Insurance:
Mister Towed recommended this firm years ago and, as of today, I am finally insured with them.

The comprehensive policy they found covers me for both the final "under construction" period and then "on the road" too.

Which means my insurance is now in place for the day I finally drive the car to the MOT station (whenever that may be).

Now there are lots of reasons not to build a kit car on your driveway, the weather being the most obvious one.

However, the real risk is that no insurance company will cover, what they call, an "under tarpaulin" build.

The fact the car was just sitting outside uninsured was becoming more of a worry the further the build went on.

Even when I got the V5C back from the DVLA, they still were not able to find anyone to cover it.

But, thankfully, my recent short YouTube clips and photos highlight how close the car now is to being finished.

So that is a huge weight off my shoulders and you will now see my number plate appearing in the photos.
( I didn't have the technical skills to blur the plate in the last video clip. )

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Friday- Part 1:
Spent some time working out the best place for my "stick on" front number plate.



The tape near the nose of the bonnet represents where a 2 inch deep yellow band around the nose would reach.

This allowed me to mark up where the corners should be.



Before I finally stuck it on, although I've left the protective cover in place for now.



This is a temporary arrangement for two reasons:
- It will be removed when the time comes to finally paint the car.
- This is my original donor car registration and it will soon be replaced with a "C" reg. number plate instead.
( However, I need an MOT before the DVLA will let me change my V5C. )

Covered up the scuttle to protect all the shiny bits fitted.



I tested my largest drill bit on a spare bit of metal.



To see if this was the right size for the rubber grommets I had.



Before drilling a "drain hole" in each of the lowered floor pans & giving the fresh edge a lick of Kurust.



The grommet will be fitted upside down, as the seat will make it harder to reach this point from above.
( Note: I still need to tidy up the area around the hole. )



So the grommet is effectively reached from underneath the floor instead.



End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Friday - Part 2:
Opened up the two "mistake" holes around the grille.





Before using a couple of blobs of fibreglass filler to seal them both up.





I sanded down along the edge of the cockpit to separate the side lip from side wall.



Slightly easier to see with some primer on.



This should give a cleaner break between the body shell and the cockpit when the initial black goes on.

I also sanded down the filler repair near the rear cockpit corner.



Which was then etch primed.



Mixed up some normal filler to apply around more of the cockpit walls on the driver's side.





By which point, the sun was arriving on the driveway…



So my time was up (see further explanation later on).

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Number Plate:
Fitting the number plate at the back of the car has generated a new batch of "Is it a Cobra?" type questions.

Is it a personalised number plate? - No, it is a 1980 V reg that came with the car.

Are they your initials? No, it is a 1980 V reg that came with the car.

Or perhaps it would be easier to change my name to match the number plate? Paul J?

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Taking Another Break:
Much as though I hate to admit it, I've reached the conclusion that I am not actually the Duracell Bunny.



Which means I really need to recharge my batteries for a while before pushing on to the finish line.
( I definitely spent too long in the sun earlier in the week. )

As "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" and I don't want to start making mistakes at this late stage.
( Especially with the wiring. )

So this morning's work will be the last time I look at the car for a couple of weeks.

That way, I should return refreshed and determined to keep ticking MOT jobs off the list.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
I plan to use some of my time away from the car to work on my fitness, which has completely collapsed.

I am sure than my current lack of fitness means the recent big push on the car has taken more out of me than it should.

Earlier today I looked up my training statistics for the first 6 months of 2009, just before my last Triathlon race.

1st January to 30th June
Swim - 148 km
Bike - 2,304 km
Run - 476 km
Training Time - 208 hrs

Whilst I don't expect to get back to that level any time soon, something would be better than nothing.

[Paul L]

Juggling:

Well the last two weeks have flown by, so here is a quick catch up…

We made a late booking for a family holiday on the Isle of Wight for the last week in July.
( With my work being so 'hit & miss', we hadn't booked anything before now. )

On the ferry over there we saw Sir Ben Ainslie in action in the America's Cup World Series.



This was the view from the footpath running behind where we were staying.



Unusually for us, we did a LOT of walking on this holiday, although I think the great weather & scenery helped.



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This week, I was back to work for Monday to Thursday, missing most of the wet weather over here.

I was back on "standby mode" for Friday, but had to spend the day on domestic chores.

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Saturday:
After two weeks, the covers finally came off, on what promised to be a nice day.

Started by sanding down the various blobs of filler around the grille opening & giving them a dusting of etch primer.
( I covered a few other spots when I was filling in the "mistake" holes. )



















End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Saturday - Part 2:
Which left the front end looking like this.



While the etch primer was out, I added some around the seat fixing holes on the driver's side.
( I left the bolts in the bottom of the seat and these rubbed against the paint. )



Then I added some 'normal' filler to parts of the cockpit wall on the passenger side.

Before:





After:





While that was setting, I started sanding down the filler on the cockpit walls on the driver's side.

Which included this blob which I had previously added when I was doing those blobs around the grille area.



Sanding this was as easy as it got.



As the sides were seriously hard work, especially as I was often leaning in from outside, with my head upside down.

Still, it was worth it, as a vaguely smooth surface finally started to emerge.







End of Part 2…

[Paul L]

Saturday - Part 3:
Which is a little easier to see when the etch primer is on.







Note: The interior was always going to be Spartan / 'rough & ready', so this is smooth enough.

I had also tidied up any stray bits of filler / resin from the driver's hump, so that was etch primed too.
( Note: I quite like this photo, as the body shell / cockpit shape is really getting there. )



By the time I got the passenger side the driveway was in direct sunlight and I got very hot.

I must remember to add a French Foreign Legion extension to the back of my cap to protect my neck.
( As I think this is how the sun really got to me the last time. )

In addition to the sanding been very hard work, I had a slight mishap with the belt sander.

Look closely and you will see the small hole /air pocket under the cockpit lip.



So I added some fibreglass filler to fill that it in.



I also fixed a very small hole I spotted on the driver's side (after the primer went on).



There was also a bit of tidying up to do on a section of the passenger wall while I was at it.



Apart from those areas getting remedial filler work, the rest of the previous filler is almost ready.



But by now, I was starting to feel a bit cooked and decided not to push my luck any further.

So I quickly added some filler over the bottom middle section of the rear cockpit wall...





Before putting the covers on and calling it a day as far as the car was concerned.

But after a shower to remove all the dust, I was back on duty in the garden as we had a small family BBQ for the 4 of us.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
First thing this morning, I found one of these in my spare wiring box in the Summer House.



So at some point I can use this to take the power for the oil pressure gauge from the back of the fuel gauge.
( As per Mick O'Malley's suggestion. )

[Paul L]

Sunday - No car time available.

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Monday - Part 1:
Spend the morning with one of my daughters, including a trip to see the new Jason Bourne film.

So it was late afternoon before I got a chance to make a bit more progress…

I started with a bit of sewing as I added a Legionnaire's "flap" to the back of one of my work caps.



Although, as it turned out, the sun was not exactly beating down today.

Still, all the sanding work kept me warm as I worked my way around the back of the cockpit.

Repair on driver's side.



Centre section.



Passenger side.







Then it was time for some etch primer.











End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Monday - Part 2:
I still have to sand down the filler on the front sections of the cockpit walls.

But at least the rear section is now ready for a coat of Tetroseal.



As before, there is now a nice contrast between the external body shell and the internal cockpit.



Unfortunately, at this point, the sky was turning dark, so I didn't want to push my luck.



The good news is that I am slowly working my way around the cockpit and it will be good enough for an MOT.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Paul L]

Tuesday - Part 1:
Used a lot of dust sheets in a vain attempt to keep the filler dust at bay.



Then spent ages sanding down the front sections of the cockpit walls on both sides.





For now, I have just left the join between the front footwells and the lowered floor pans.
( At some point, I will cover this join with some aluminium sheet. )



Then I added some newspaper to protect the dash.



And covered the wing mirror fixing too.



Before the etch primer went on, starting with the driver's side.





And then the passenger side.





While that was drying, I added some masking tape to the rear cockpit edge.



Which wraps around to meet the cockpit wall like so.



End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Tuesday - Part 2:
At this point, the dark clouds appeared to be gathering.



But I took a chance and started painting Tetroseal along the middle section of the rear wall.



As the weather was still holding, I worked my way around to the driver's side.



After another check on the sky, the passenger corner was done.



At which point I had to stop anyway to switch to some gardening chores.

But I was very happy to be leaving the cockpit looking like this.



Note:
While the filler looks rough in places when it is in primer, it all blends in nicely under the textured paint.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

[DaveP]

Looking great there Paul as ever. I think you should buy shares in filler, etch primer and sand-paper suppliers

Dave

[Triumph Special]

Does the Tetrosyl dry hard, so that you can paint over it? I've used something similar in the past that gave a great finish, but remained slightly tacky. Thanks.

[Paul L]

DaveP - Thanks.

I should also have bought some industrial quantities of "elbow grease" while I was at it.

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Triumph Special - Thankfully, the Tetroseal does dry to a hard finish, that is not tacky to the touch.

Although, if the underside is anything to go by, because the finish is rough, it will not stay looking "fresh" for long.

So this cockpit will soon look a bit more "lived in".

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Wednesday Update:
Off to a "real work" meeting this morning, but I hope to get a bit more painting done later today.

Cheers, Paul.

[Triumph Special]

Thanks for that, I'll have to look out for some. It looks ideal for the under boot area on my Triumph.

[Paul L]

Triumph Special - Just be aware that using Tetroseal is like painting with shoe polish!

I also treat brushes as an expendable item, rather than make any attempt to clean them.
( Sealing the brush in a plastic bag will usually give me a couple of days use. )

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Very Early Morning:
Sometime after 6am this morning, the noise coming from the flat roof section of our loft conversion was ridiculous.

Now normally, when birds land on the flat roof it sounds like they are wearing hobnailed boots, but this was much worse.

So I ended up climbing out of the Velux window and up the sloping side of the roof at the front to see WTF was going on.

Two big crows and a seagull flew off leaving two mini nan breads (or something similar) which they were slowly pecking their way through.

So I got rid of those and carefully climbed back into our room and it is much harder getting back in, than getting out in the first place.

Either way, not the start to the day I was expecting!

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Painting Myself Into A Corner:
It was just starting to spit rain as I walked home from the train station.

But thankfully, this quickly blew over and I could get back outside to apply some more Tetroseal.

Although, as more areas got covered, it became quite tricky to manoeuvre myself around the cockpit without putting my hands down.
( As the Tetroseal gets onto my gloves and the last thing I wanted was paint on the primer. )

Passenger side first.





Followed by driver's side (excuse the poor photo).



Where I finished off the floor while leaning in from outside the car, which didn't do my back any favours.



Then I peeled off the masking tape and the contrast between the body shell & cockpit really stands out.





Obviously, I am very happy with that and this is all I need for the MOT.

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After a bit of digging, I finally found this old photo of DonnySoutherner's cockpit on his Cordite.



This was after Micky1Mo had got the car through its first MOT, so clearly a luxury cockpit interior is not required.

Question:
Does anyone know what the rules are regarding handbrake and gear lever covers?

Are they essential for an MOT, or just a "nice to have" item?

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That's all for today and at some point I need to sort out the wiring so the dash can be put back into place.

Wiring Jobs:
- Oil pressure gauge
- Heater fan switch
- Front side lights

Until next time, take care, Paul.

[Roadster]

Good work Paul
Im pretty sure that the covers are not required for MOT

[Paul L]

Roadster - Thanks.

I had a quick look at the MOT rules and it didn't mention them specifically.
( Having said that, I will probably make some kind of gear lever cover. )

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Looking Back:
Seeing the rear cockpit finally painted black the other day was another huge milestone for me.



As, thankfully, there is no way of telling just how much hard work has gone into what you can see now.

DonnySoutherner was the first person to re-use old Spitfire rear wheel arches in his build.

Then AndyP57 recycled an old Spitfire hand brake panel into one of his builds.

But I think I am the only person to use a complete rear arches / hand brake panel "combo" in their builds.

Mind you, just getting these two big pieces of my internal framework structure "jigsaw" from the garden to the driveway was hard work.



And getting them to slot together to form a singe piece was not easy either.

Among other things, I had to modify the arches to fit around the framework.



And then modify the framework to fit around the arches.



Further work was needed to permanently join them together & then allow the body shell to sit nicely over the top.

Plus the floors had to be welded into place and an extension to the framework added to so it could be joined to the Spitfire bulkhead.

Then the plywood panels had to be put together as another collection of jigsaw pieces.

Actually…

Thinking about it…

It is probably best not to think about the number of hours that have gone into this build.

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I've been doing some "real" work for the last couple of days, but hope to spend some time on the car over the weekend.

Until then, take care, Paul.

[Triumph Special]

Triumph Dolomites and Toledos had a neat and unobtrusive rubber gator beneath the trim/carpet one. They cost pence from Rimmers and would suit your application well.

[Roadster]

Good suggestion Triumph

I always like using cv gaiters, cheap and available at most parts store

[Paul L]

Triumph Special & Roadster - Cheers chaps, I'll look into that handbrake gaiter option after the MOT.

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Struggling Saturday - Part 1:
First job of the day was to re-fit the access panel to the rear cockpit wall.



I think it makes a good contrast against the black.



Next up was fitting the seat belt eye bolts for my 3 point harness on the driver's side:

- Rear cockpit wall behind seat.



- Original Spitfire seat belt mount along hand brake panel.



- Side cockpit wall.



With a matching set for the passenger side too.



Then it was time to tackle the wiring…

For the oil pressure gauge, I made an earth strap…



And a "piggy back" power lead.



Which was used to share the power from the fuel gauge.



Before I had to start crawling upside down into the footwells again.

It took me ages to reconnect all the small parts I had removed when I though the whole dash had to come out.

I then set up a new earthling point for the oil pressure gauge & the loom in general.
( Previously I used the mounting point for the wooden dash as my earthing point. )



You will just have to take me word for it that the gauge is now wired up at the dash end.



I still need to connect the wire to the sensor switch on the engine, but I'll come back to that later.

End of Part 1…

[Paul L]

Struggling Saturday - Part 2:
Then I could finally put the two wooden dash sections back into position, along with the steering column cover.





With the dash back in place, I could fit the driver's aero screen.



Then I removed the bolts from the bottom of the driver's seat, so it wouldn't scrape the newly painted floor.

Then for a bit of extra protection, I put my "butchered" yoga mat underneath.



It is fair to say that at this point things were going well, so it was time to start the engine.

As this was last fired up in July before I had to disconnect the choke level when I was trying to remove the dash.

With the choke cable now re-attached and some "fresh" petrol poured into the tank for luck, I turned the key…

And absolutely nothing happened.

I checked the battery & that was OK and the horn works.

I checked under the dash to make sure I hadn't pulled a wire out during my earlier work, that all seemed fine.

I did fine one problem in the engine bay, where an ignition coil connector was broken.



So I wired in a temporary solution for now...



But still no sign of life when I turn the ignition key.

By this point I wasn't feeling great, so decided to call it quits and come back another day to find the fault.
( This is the 3rd time this has happened, so there must be a simple explanation somewhere. )

But before I went indoors, I pushed the car into the sunshine on my driveway for a few photos.







Please ignore how dusty the front footwells are, I will be sorting them out once all the wiring is fixed.

Anyway, I'm now off to lie down for a bit, so until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
Warts & All:
This is what happens when you combine 'not enough masking tape' with 'a lazy brush stroke'.



Still, at least that is an easy fix for another day.