Worcester MIGLIA

Carib Classics · #1 17th December 2014, 02:00

Hi all, been reading most of your build diaries for the past seven months and have been inspired to BUILD A CAR. I currently have two classic cars but I now have the bug to build one, and have selected the MIGLIA.

Carib Classics · #2 17th December 2014, 02:04

[QUOTE=Carib Classics;62047]Hi all, been reading most of your build diaries for the past seven months and have been inspired to BUILD A CAR. I currently have two classic cars but I now have the bug to build one, and have selected the MIGLIA.

Paul L · #3 17th December 2014, 13:34

Carib Classics - Welcome to the forum.

It will be nice to see another Miglia build on here.

Good luck, Paul.

1iTim · #4 17th December 2014, 19:19

Hi carib, welcome, and good luck!

Carib Classics · #5 18th December 2014, 01:51

I will try and keep a diary as I am going to need much help from you guys who have built a number of cars. I will be very honest my keenness is far greater than my car building knowledge.
I have a teaching and lecturing background so I do a lot of planning after which I came up with this as my starting point.
September 2014
I decided to use the spitfire chassis, my research found they were far more sturdy and there a more readily available in good condition. What my research didn't show me was that they are shorter in length. Now anyone who knows about cars would have spotted that one car is a two seater and the other is a four seater. Not me.
And so with the purchase of two chassis the build started. Why two? because my project chassis was solid. It had been already stripped, cleaned and painted and was sold as a bare boned unit, [ATTACH]IMG_0471.jpg[/ATTACH]
That meant I had to get another chassis with running gear.[ATTACH][ATTACH]IMG_0458.jpg[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]
Once I stripped the chassis it was discarded for scrap

Paul L · #6 18th December 2014, 07:38

Have you spoken to Mike @ Miglia yet?

He did modify an original Herald based Speedster to work with the Spitfire chassis for Marc F.

I think the original plan was to offer a Spitfire based version, but it is worth checking.

It would certainly make your life easier compared to buying the Herald based model and them modifying it to fit.

Good luck, Paul.

davecymru · #7 18th December 2014, 07:40

Whoo Hoo a new Miglia builder! I was starting to feel a bit lonely in here

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carib Classics

I will be very honest my keenness is far greater than my car building knowledge.

You'll fit right in then

Best of luck with the project and i look forward to seeing how it progresses

rattler · #8 18th December 2014, 18:15

hi you wont regret it good fun my miglia is on show at a citroen main dealer showroom so nice and warm for the winter now building a citroen 2cv specia rattlerl

Carib Classics · #9 18th December 2014, 23:33

Thanks guys for all the positives.
Yes I have spoken to Mike at Miglia , thanks Paul, and he is setting me up with a subframe and body to suit my spitfire chassis.

Carib Classics · #10 18th December 2014, 23:51

So that was back in September and much progress since then. My rolling gear came off with very little trouble. I must confess that I am fortunate to be part of a group of enthusiast who think they know everything there is to know about classic cars.
The ring leader is Big Kevin who owns the local garage and is a one of the best fabricator I've ever seen.
He CAN reproduce any shape and size steel panel.
However none of this mad group have ever built a kit car so I'm venturing into territories green for us all.
The great thing about the group is that everyone chips in to help whenever there is something to resolve. Out of hours we have full access to the ramps and extensive snap on tools that belong to Kevin and Chris who work at KW Auto and classics Cars Bromsgrove Worcestershire full time. Although I have my build in a lockup, once the basic rolling chassis is built, and I can get some space? its round to the garage for advice and verbal abuse.

Carib Classics · #11 19th December 2014, 00:12

With my two chassis in two different locations, I could get busy. Everything was removed the suspension donating chassis it was all power washed, dried and the long task of cleaning and painting began.IMG_0460.jpg IMG_0463.jpg

Carib Classics · #12 19th December 2014, 00:37

My build chassis was secured in my lockup, which is where all my main bits will be stored as I obtain them.IMG_0465.jpg IMG_0468.jpg.
Did someone say whats that under the heavily wrapped polythene sheets? Well thats my 2litre Redtop race prepared engine. I will back a ford type 9 five speed box or a T5 gearbox to it, and as they say, thats all she wrote. YES VERY NICE!!!!
Oh can anyone say whether the standard prop and diff will cope with that monster setup? All those who have build a V8 version, what did you do with your back end?

Carib Classics · #13 19th December 2014, 01:12

With all the garage equipment and tools at my disposal, my two large bins of suspension parts were stored at KW Auto. The cleaning of the suspension parts?guys they takes a lot of time, particularly under the eyes of Big Kevin, he is a stickler for detail. All my spare days and evenings were spent with a bench vice. To be honest, it made the final striping and cleaning so much easier. Everything is washed in clutch and brake cleaning fluid,IMG_0499.jpg
then given a thorough wire brushing to remove all the rust
IMG_0493.jpg
before it is either hand painted for the chassis engine mountsIMG_0531.jpg
or sprayed the appropriate colour as part of the suspension unit.
IMG_0517.jpg IMG_0588.jpg.

Carib Classics · #14 19th December 2014, 01:27

Nice clean Suspension Bits
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IMG_0544.jpg.

Carib Classics · #15 19th December 2014, 01:36

More Nice Clean Bits
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IMG_0589.jpg.

Carib Classics · #16 19th December 2014, 02:38

With October ending there was still a few parts still to be cleaned and sprayed, and so November arrived and I was still married to the bench vice. However it all ended and all my clean bits of suspension and accessories were transferred to be stored and hung in the lockup.
IMG_0584.jpg.
The lockup was also where I was going to do my basic rolling chassis build, but before I could start my build I had to prepare my build chassis in the same way I had addressed the suspension.
So with an electric generator borrowed from Kevin for the tools and light which I had erected, my cleaning and striping began.
IMG_0594.jpg
IMG_0593.jpg
I used a flat electric metal sanding disk on the flat areas, to strip it back to the bare metal looking for any holes and a series of wire brushes in the small and tricky areas.
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The area is cleaned with brake and clutch fluid to remove any grease and dirt before a thick hand brushed layer of silver metallic paint was applied.
IMG_0596.jpg.

1iTim · #17 19th December 2014, 04:20

nice work, you have most of the easy stuff done!

stonking engine to go in there - buy a couple of spare diffs, at the very least some from the 6 cyl GT6. just change them each time they break!

you can also get quaife internals. You could also loose the swing arms and go full independant with cv jointed rear that will unload (laterally) the diff so allowing other diffs to be engineered in (subaru, nissan).

Say hi to mike for me!

swifty · #18 19th December 2014, 07:45

Nice work CC you are well on the way, you mention fitting a type 9 gearbox thats what i have done but used a GT6 engine, did consider a bigger engine but then there was the uprated brakes etc to consider so stuck with a GT6 for now. There is some good sites on subaru diff conversion in triumph chassis plus uprated independent rear suspension.

Good luck and i look forward to following your progress.

Cheers Swifty

Mister Towed · #19 19th December 2014, 08:27

Wow, with that red top and a Spit Chassis, if you keep the build lightweight you'll have close to 400bhp/tonne to play with.

These three (all on Vitesse Chassis and running Triumph six pots) have between 150 and 240bhp/tonne and all are pretty rapid.

Yours is going to be bonkers! I like it.

Carib Classics · #20 22nd December 2014, 08:39

Nice cars MT, yes I don't intend to do anything to increase the weight. The type 9 gearbox will add a few ponds but thats it. Did you leave your back end as standard?
My intensions are to keep my first attempt as standard as possible with general upgrades such as vented replacement discs, which I have to change anyway. This route will ensure I get the build completed, then go back and either do another build or gradually make the uprated changes.
The guys at the garage think I should do all the uprated and changes this time around, but as its my first lit build, and no-one else at the garage has ever built a kit car, I intend to keep focussed and have it completed for summer or certainly within 12 months.IMG_0259.jpg.
These are a few of the Bromsgrove garage crew. You can obviously tell who is big Kevin. (blonde mop?)The other two are Nathan who's stag had just won best classic on show that day, and Roger the dodger, he can spray anything.