Stewarts build

[Psycho pops]

Hi Dave
Its a 1300 just the four cylinders....
Pops

[davecymru]

ok, no worries i thought it was. Its just that i think i have a manifold and a pair of SU's for a '6' rattling about somewhere.

[Psycho pops]

Thanks for the thought Dave, not to worry.
Pops

[Psycho pops]

Disaster averted, Dave at Spitfire graveyard has sorted me out with a manifold and twin 1 1/4 SU's so all should be up and running I hope, its been a couple of years since this engine has been run up and I've never heard this sports exhaust note so looking forward to that.

Update on the vinyl cover, The sample sheet arrived and went on smooth over the hump, gave a realistic impression of brushed aluminium and the colour looked fantastic at showing off the curves, however it was so easily marked it would not be practical over the whole car, the sheets max width mean that a car such as this with no doors would need joins in the vinyl that would always be visible and obvious, not a total waste of time though as the silver looked fantastic so a change of mind once again on final colour.

Just fitting a wood burner into the garage so next time home should mean no interruptions due to being too cold, strange the wife suggests I should move in their if its as warm as Im expecting

[WorldClassAccident]

Paint the body and vinyl the humps and highlights?

I was always a sucker for two tone paint jobs....

[Psycho pops]

Originally Posted by WorldClassAccident

Paint the body and vinyl the humps and highlights?

I was always a sucker for two tone paint jobs....

Mines a dromedary, I like the idea of adding darker tones to the shallows of the bodywork to highlight the curves, may be beyond my skills to do so, have other thoughts too but am a long way of that stage so will have changed my mind a few times more,

[Mister Towed]

Silver is a great colour on almost any car imho.

White's made a come-back recently after a couple of decades in the doldrums. Something to do with Apple using it for all their trendy electronic toys for young folks I believe.

There'll be a hint of I-Pod white on mine as I'm going for a white grille and racing roundels. I'm hoping it'll subtly complement the silver paint rather than clash like black would.

Shame the vinyl wrap didn't work out for you, would've liked to have seen how it turned out.

There's always 'liquid chrome' if you want a stunning, polished aluminium warplane look and your budget will allow -

http://www.chromepaint.com/shop/liquid-chrome/

I looked at this a year or so ago and it would've cost about a grand for four litres so it looks like it's come down in price by about 40% since then. That could mean they're selling a lot of it and have been able to pass the volume production savings on to the customer.

Although it's still expensive compared to conventional paint it doesn't appear to need flatting and polishing for days and days after it's applied. So long as the prep is done right it looks like you spray it on and you're done. Worth thinking about...

[Psycho pops]

Well Dave at Spitfire Graveyard delivered as promised (Cant recommend this company enough and wont hesitate too contact for future spares) and the manifold and carbs arrived today (not bad with Christmas rush), just fitted them and after a lot of persuading the engine finally fired up, only ran it for 20-30 seconds as I haven't plumbed in the water yet , however well chuffed to finally hear the exhaust and know theres life in the beast after all this time. He ticked over ok with a decent rumble considering its a 1300 Spitfire engine.
I am going to have to fit a blister as the new carbs fowl the bonnet but thats not an issue.
Pops

[Paul L]

Great news on the engine start.

[Psycho pops]

Cheers Paul,
There was no need for me to do this just yet, but after reading your thread it spurred me on to get it running.
Pops

[Psycho pops]

And now the workshop is a far more inviting place...

Happy days

[Mister Towed]

Mmm, that looks very nice.

Bit of red oxide overspray on the wall behind it though...

[Paul L]

Pops - I think the sooner you can get the engine running the better.

That wood burner looks lovely and warm.
Just make sure you work on the car & not sleep in the arm chair!

Good luck, Paul.

[Psycho pops]

Wishing all a Very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Productive New Year,

Will be back in 2013 with updates and progress

[CarNoob]

nice fire but watch the loose fibre glass on these cars they make very nice tinder. As I found when doing revised welding.

[Psycho pops]

Chose a simple job to be starting up again, Have been thinking about a wooden steering wheel but in the end opted to refurbish the original,
Chrome sprayed the centre spokes and stitched on leather cover, overall happy with the new look still looks classic, i hope

.



Pops

[Viatron]

Long the wheel sir, did you stitch the leather yourself or did you have it done for you?

[Mister Towed]

Wheel looks terrific 'pops, very fifties rocket ship. I also really like your instrument cluster, nice work.

[Psycho pops]

The wheel cover was Ebay - £18, just had to stitch the seam to join it simple job - 1/2 hr or so..

[Paul L]

The steering wheel looks both simple & effective.

It also works well with the steering column switches sticking out behind it.

What's next?

Good luck, Paul.