Mister Towed's Tai Chi build - Page 31

Paul L · #**601** 1st July 2012, 05:59

Thanks for yet another detailed reply.

One of these days I will need to buy you a beer (or two).

Cheers, Paul.

Mister Towed · #**602** 1st July 2012, 08:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul L

Thanks for yet another detailed reply.

One of these days I will need to buy you a beer (or two).

Cheers, Paul.

Thanks Paul, I'll hold you to that!

Mister Towed · #**603** 5th July 2012, 16:16

Not much progress to report this last week or so mainly due to work commitments - yesterday was supposed to be a day off but instead I spent it doing crowd control as the olympic torch passed through Sandringham. Great event though, I really enjoyed it despite being trussed up in body armour, waterproof fluorescent jacket and tall hat on the most humid day of the year. Five hours on my feet without a drink or a chance to go pee pee...

Anyway, I have been fiddling with the electrics today and I now have a working horn, a wireless that can get Radio 2 and a lot less extraneous electric string dangling under the dash. I've also wired up a self designed alarm system based on a popular terrorist booby trap design (did I mention I used to teach sabotage techniques to special forces troops?) which should deter anyone from trying to steal my pride and joy.

Big day tomorrow: aiming to get the rest of the exhaust heat wrapped to stop it making the cabin hot and then it'll finally be time to....

BOND ON THE BODY!

tlrtone · #**604** 5th July 2012, 16:29

go for it Mr T

Stop putting it off and bond away!

Mister Towed · #**605** 5th July 2012, 18:26

Yes, I have been putting it off a bit. I really wanted everything to work before restricting the access too much and now it's all in and working I can jolly well get on with it.

tlrtone · #**606** 5th July 2012, 19:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

Yes, I have been putting it off a bit. I really wanted everything to work before restricting the access too much and now it's all in and working I can jolly well get on with it.

You will be surprised how accessible everything is afterwards - apart from under the dash or the pedals! For that you will need to practise standing on your head and working upside down!

Believe me, you WILL have forgotten to do something!

Mister Towed · #**607** 9th July 2012, 11:30

Not much progress to report I'm afraid, mainly due to the weather being crap. I need a dry day to get the body bonded to the moon buggy as I want lots of space around and good light to make sure it goes on right. Once it's bonded on it's going to be bloody hard to rectify any errors afterwards.

I have managed to get the wireless in and working and I really like it. You have to turn it up 'king loud to hear it over the engine and exhaust though.

I also spent half an hour this morning finishing off the exhaust heat wrap. I'd recommend this to keep the cockpit temperature comfortable in the summer.

Oh well, if I want to get the body on I'd better keep a weather eye on the, um, weather.

tlrtone · #**608** 9th July 2012, 11:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed

I have managed to get the wireless in and working and I really like it. You have to turn it up 'king loud to hear it over the engine and exhaust though.

Having wired in an amplifier and 6x9 speakers to mine, so I can simply plug my MP3 (or phone) into it, I have never used it yet!

The wind noise is such that you can't hear much and to be honest, if you have it loud enough to hear it going along, you are deafened when you come to a stop! (not to mention that people start to stare for all the wrong reasons - ie your choice in music rather than the car!

)

Mister Towed · #**609** 10th July 2012, 07:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlrtone

Having wired in an amplifier and 6x9 speakers to mine, so I can simply plug my MP3 (or phone) into it, I have never used it yet!

The wind noise is such that you can't hear much and to be honest, if you have it loud enough to hear it going along, you are deafened when you come to a stop! (not to mention that people start to stare for all the wrong reasons - ie your choice in music rather than the car!

)

Yes, there is a possibility I won't be able to hear it on the move, but at least it'll give me something to listen to when I'm stuck in traffic or waiting for the RAC to show up.

My modern wireless also has an aux. input for MP3's and a usb port so I can plug an i-phone into it (whatever that is) and answer calls hands-free on the move. It'd be a bit Dom Joly though - "HELLO! NO, I'M IN THE SPYDER...

phil9 · #**610** 11th July 2012, 17:44

hi need some help with down loading my pics

Nike55 · #**611** 11th July 2012, 21:37

http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=3076

Psycho pops · #**612** 12th July 2012, 05:43

MR Towed

Any closer to Bonding the Body?

I should be around the same stage when I get home, once I get the nerve...

Pops

Mister Towed · #**613** 12th July 2012, 07:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psycho pops

MR Towed

Any closer to Bonding the Body?

I should be around the same stage when I get home, once I get the nerve...

Pops

Looks sunny today and I don't start work until five this evening. Have just had breakfast and am now starting deep breathing exercises prior to popping open the bonding paste...

Phil, I'll give you a ring about uploading the photos.

Mister Towed · #**614** 12th July 2012, 15:13

And today the excuses finally ran out...

After much fettling and fiddling to make sure the body was going to go on exactly how I wanted it to sit, I applied bonding paste where the body touches the frame and finally fitted the body -

I'm pleased with the final stance even though I eventually had to remove the extra lowering leaves from the diff spacer to give the exhaust a bit of ground clearance. It now has about 50mm where it did have just under 30... On Phil J's advice I also raised the back of the body up another 20mm to give the tyres some clearance in the arches. It now sits like this -

I ended up cutting virtually all of the 'feet' off the front of the bodyshell due to all the add-ons on my bulkhead. I kinda wish I'd profiled the cut line along the top of the bulkhead to match the underside of the body though, I know someone's done that on here and it'd save a lot of messing about with fibreglass later, which is what I'm going to have to do to fill in the gap that's left.

Off to work shortly but I have a few days off then so I'll be fibreglassing the sides to the floor tomorrow.

oxford1360 · #**615** 12th July 2012, 15:18

That's looking really good.

tlrtone · #**616** 12th July 2012, 15:18

well done Mr T.

At last

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrT_the_forgetful

I kinda wish I'd profiled the cut line along the top of the bulkhead to match the underside of the body though

told you that there would be something you wish you had done first - there always is!

Mister Towed · #**617** 12th July 2012, 15:22

Yes, the profiling of the bulkhead is something that needs looking at when you cut the windscreen frame off. Once I'd cut mine off and sold it there was no going back. I'll get by with fibreglass though.

Paul L · #**618** 12th July 2012, 20:18

Good work Mr T and as always a very helpful guide for others.

That is one serious "blob" behind the seats.

Take care, Paul.

lancelot link · #**619** 13th July 2012, 07:17

There you go.....wasn't too bad after all was it ?

Seriously though , nice work....your car is shaping up very nicely now...and have to say the dash looks fantastic...

Mister Towed · #**620** 13th July 2012, 09:09

Thanks for the encouragement guys. 'The Blob' behind the seats is where your hand naturally falls when you climb in so it's there to brace the panel and stop it cracking (hopefully). I'm toying with the idea of putting a leather or aluminium 'shield' over it so the paint doesn't get scruffy.

I love the dash too Gary, couldn't be happier with it. It's plain and simple and will be completely the opposite of the typically overdone Cobra dash when it's finished.

Hmm, finished. There's a word that seems to be evading my thread at the moment. My original deadline of my 50th in January came and went as did the revised deadline of my wife's birthday in April. Then it was 'the end of June' but August is fast approaching and I still haven't finished it

New deadline is the end of September, which I'm hoping is now a realistic prospect. It would help if it stopped raining though - although I've got a decent sized double garage to work in the light's so much better outside that things just seem to get done a lot faster when the sun is shining.

Anyway, morose moment over, I'm off to see Phil J later this morning to see if I can help with the photo uploading thing. Oh, and to see Barry's blue Spyder as Phil's nearly finished it. I might even take some photos...