Madabout Kitcars Forum

Madabout Kitcars Forum (https://madabout-kitcars.com/forum/index.php)
-   Tribute Automotive Builds (https://madabout-kitcars.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18)
-   -   Mister Towed's SWB 250GT SEFAC build. (https://madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5343)

Mister Towed 17th March 2015 19:53

Mister Towed's SWB 250GT SEFAC build.
 
Feeling a bit guilty about thread-jacking Geoff and Bob's SWB builds, so I decided it's probably a good idea to start my own now that I've begun the process of buying in the parts I'll be needing.

The decision to build a SWB is a no-brainer for me - I need a 'sensible' classic car for rainy days when it's too wet to enjoy driving my Spyder, and the Ferrari 250GT SWB Berlinetta is just one of the most beautiful coupes I've ever seen.

With auction prices coming in at around $10,000,000 to $20,000,000 for the real thing, even a non-rollover Euromillions win wouldn't be enough to bag one, so a close-enough-to-fool-most-people Tribute to the model will do me nicely.

This build may be either quick or slow. I anticipated a six-month build for my Spyder and it actually took two years, but the reason for the rather vague timespan this time is down to my finances - I may be able to afford a donor and kit in a couple of months, or I might have to wait until early 2017.

Either way I will be building one and I have every confidence that Chris at Tribute will still be producing the kit if I have to wait another 21 months before putting a deposit down.

I'm aiming to keep this to a (fairly) strict budget of around £7,500 but will spend less if I can. I'll be keeping a spreadsheet to monitor my expenditure and the hours I put in, and will try to remember to add a tally to my updates as I go along.

I'll be using the images from this site as a handy reference throughout -

http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/...%2012-Cylinder

Anyway, I'll post plenty of pics and am always open to suggestions/advice regarding whatever I happen to be doing.

So, a few pics to get started with starting with seats and wheels -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psvrrzmd5i.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psm6jfevtv.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psqoddssoa.jpg

Spend so far:

Wheels (BMW 5 series 6.5 x 15 ET20 steels) £78.00

Seats (black leather Rover 45 saloon, rear seats included and the leather from them will be used for door/dash trim) - £100.00

Total spend to date - £178.00

Total hours expended 1.5 (plus about 2,000 surfing the 'net for ideas).

More later. :high5:

davecymru 17th March 2015 20:24

COOL! Good luck matey :)

hurnleft 17th March 2015 21:51

Looks good so far and using imaginary parts should help keep the cost down!

Cheers, Bob.

IanA 17th March 2015 22:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed (Post 64563)

Way to go- living the dream !!!

froggyman 18th March 2015 06:16

Nice start 'Towed'. I am sure this thread will have many readers.
Steering wheel next then!
P.S. Not too sure on carpet choice though!! LOL.

Paul L 18th March 2015 08:33

[Blockbuster Voice Over]

Coming to a garage near you soon...

First they brought you the Emperor' new clothes...

Now they bring you the Emperor's new Ferrari 250 SWB...

It is going to be EPIC!


[/Blockbuster Voice Over]

:icon_wink:

Well Mister Towed, your first build thread was a great read and a big inspiration. :cool:

Based on the speed of DaveCymru's Miglia build, your Spyder building experience will be a big help on this project.

Good luck, Paul. :)

Scottie22 18th March 2015 08:39

Wow! where on earth did you get that blow-up doll? It looks so much like you!! :-)

Scottie22 18th March 2015 08:41

P.S. You get that 6mm drill bit into those Dunlop look alikes!

GazDavies 18th March 2015 12:53

I like both the wheels and seats, great buys. Now no more posts please until I have built my car as I get the feeling that my simple build will change based on what I see others doing.

WorldClassAccident 18th March 2015 14:39

Looks as complete as it needs to be for these guys : http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...ead.php?t=5342

reneanglia 18th March 2015 18:28

It looks like the wheelbase is a bit too short and you need a flatcap.....

Scottie22 18th March 2015 19:12

Rene! You've got a"thing" about flat caps!!

reneanglia 18th March 2015 19:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottie22 (Post 64631)
Rene! You've got a"thing" about flat caps!!

Yeah i have.
As i like to go at classic shows with one of my cars i always have a kind of quizz with the missus and the question is:does the driver of that car wears a flatcap and a plus-four..........
Most of the flatcap brigade drivers are a bit"up-nose" and talking with a hot potato in their throat,they drive mostly Ferrari,Jag or british sportscars.
They try to act very british like they are an old WW2 spitfire pilot-colonel or something complete with a RAF moustache..........but they are as dutch as wooden shoes or cannabis........
Always have a laugh when i see this posers.

y cymro 18th March 2015 19:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottie22 (Post 64631)
Rene! You've got a"thing" about flat caps!!

Could have been worse, Mr T could have been wearing a Dutch cap, eh Rene? :smile:

redratbike 19th March 2015 12:07

side repeaters to sit on the shelf ready for the build??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4008477922...#ht_198wt_1141

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4008689856...ht_1218wt_1378

jones 19th March 2015 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by reneanglia (Post 64635)
Most of the flatcap brigade drivers are a bit"up-nose" and talking with a hot potato in their throat,they drive mostly Ferrari,Jag or british sportscars.

Best I don't rock up to any shows in my Jag then(albeit not a sports car although it does destroy most 'hot hatches') - luckily no flat cap either!

WorldClassAccident 19th March 2015 12:53

Me working on the seating position for my Scimitar conversion. There may have been beer and flying caps involved

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ev...=w1097-h823-no

reneanglia 19th March 2015 15:10

Ah......a flying hemet........where is the wet sellery?

WorldClassAccident 19th March 2015 16:08

where is the wet celery?

Where do you think with that silly grin on my face?!?

BTW - an old and basic car!

Mister Towed 19th March 2015 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by reneanglia (Post 64666)
Ah......a flying hemet........where is the wet sellery?

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psbegulukd.jpg

Rene - Yvette, can you 'old my balls for a moment?

Yvette - Oh, Reneee!

Mister Towed 19th March 2015 16:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by redratbike (Post 64658)

Cheers Redrat, was already watching the seitenblinkers but hadn't seen the Fulvia ones, which have now ended. :(

Will definitely be adding a pair of original coffin style side repeaters, it's those little details that make the illusion believable. :thumb:

Mister Towed 19th March 2015 19:16

Inspired by Redratbike's post I did a bit of surfing and found a cheaper alternative to the oem seitenblinkers, the Autobianchi equivalent -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Nos-Autobi...item3ce624659f

They don't look as if they'll be quite the same quality as those from Germany, but they're not far off and will look the part, so at less than half the price, £31 delivered, I couldn't resist ordering a pair for the parts shelf.

They're coming from Greece and are new, old stock. Great vfm, Vive la crisis economique! :)

redratbike 19th March 2015 23:25

Just found you another set of lancia items..doh too late

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LANCIA-FUL...item5d5690927e

swifty 21st March 2015 11:32

Looking forward to following this build Mr T, are you looking to sell the sammio or starting a classic collection.

Mister Towed 21st March 2015 12:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by swifty (Post 64722)
Looking forward to following this build Mr T, are you looking to sell the sammio or starting a classic collection.

Cheers Swifty, I won't be selling the Spyder any time soon - I suggested I might do to my wife but she's put her foot down and told me to keep it - so I guess it's the start of a pseudo-classic collection.

Ultimately I'd like to use the SWB as a tow car for the Spyder (it gets a bit blustery on the motorway), but that may not be possible - there may not be a big enough weight differential and I might not be able to safely adapt a (detachable) tow bar for the extra length of the SWB body.

The sticking point for me at the moment is my finances - I'll definitely have the cash for this project in January 2017 as I get a lump sum with my retirement package, but there's something in the pipeline that means it's 90% certain that I'll be able to proceed later this spring or summer.

At the moment I'm just taking the opportunity to accumulate the parts necessary to get on with it quickly when I can afford to buy the kit.

I'm watching both Geoff and Bob's (kebab) threads with a great deal of interest as I can't believe how good the SWB is starting to look.

More later. :eusa_dance:

Scottie22 21st March 2015 13:03

You are following the same route I took Mr T, way before I got my body shell, I started buying all the knick-nacks and bits I knew I would need later.
It pays off as a bargains can be had there and then, as if you wait for the shell, the bargains have gone.
I'm sure your car will be stunning and I look forward to seeing your build.

Good luck with it.

Mister Towed 22nd March 2015 14:45

Little bit of progress on two of the wheels yesterday and today. They came from Germany with a coat of black paint sprayed over whatever was stuck to them, which turned out to include a fair bit of rust -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...psxueouaoy.jpg

After a couple of hours elbow grease with a sanding sponge I marked up and drilled 5.5mm holes between the existing ones before degreasing and giving them a couple of coats of silver smoothrite. The overall effect is quite pleasing as they now have something of the look of Dunlop racing alloys for just over twenty quid each. Bargain.

Before and after shots -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pspertmrye.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pst1whs1gr.jpg

I've also bought a couple of badges on ebay so I'll take some pics of the bits and bobs as they arrive.

Total spent so far: £282.89

Total hours put into project: 8

More later. :)

Scottie22 22nd March 2015 17:53

Wheels look good Mr T!

Don't know if you have these, but you would need two sets to
really make the wheels look perfect.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUNLOP-Jag...item5d24b79df3

Mister Towed 22nd March 2015 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottie22 (Post 64766)
Wheels look good Mr T!

Don't know if you have these, but you would need two sets to
really make the wheels look perfect.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DUNLOP-Jag...item5d24b79df3

Ahh yes, the infamous Dunlop patent stickers. I say infamous because late fifties classic Jags have been marked down in concours d'elegance events because they shouldn't have them.

Dunlop only stuck them on while the patent was pending, which was apparently around 1953-4. Once they got their patent they no longer needed to protect their copyright by labelling the wheels.

So I'll give them a miss as this is supposed to be a '59 to '61 car. :nerd:

hurnleft 22nd March 2015 20:18

Mr T,
I'd had a similar idea to you regarding the stickers, but decided to use Campagolo ones as they are an Italian brand.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMPAGNOLO...item5d254f7a92


The extra holes look great but I fear if I tried they could be all over the place.

I love the style of your seats but having driven down from Norwich to Dorchester in total comfort, I'll be getting a quote to have the original seats retrimmed in something more appropriate than the horrible beige plucked ostrich finish.

Cheers, Bob.

Mister Towed 22nd March 2015 20:59

Good luck getting your seats trimmed Bob. I can recommend Brockwell brothers in King's Lynn if you can't find anyone out Norwich way. Proper old school craftsmen and they don't charge the earth.

Will have a think about the wheel branding - 'I say, ding dong' have a massive range of such things.

Scottie22 22nd March 2015 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed (Post 64774)
Ahh yes, the infamous Dunlop patent stickers. I say infamous because late fifties classic Jags have been marked down in concours d'elegance events because they shouldn't have them.

Dunlop only stuck them on while the patent was pending, which was apparently around 1953-4. Once they got their patent they no longer needed to protect their copyright by labelling the wheels.

So I'll give them a miss as this is supposed to be a '59 to '61 car. :nerd:

Mmmmmm! Now there's something I did not know.

However, it would appear that all 16 original XKSS's had them, and I believe they were produced in 1955, so perhaps the patent was not granted until that year.

My car is intended as a 55 car, so I will leave my stickers on.

I don't think concours judges will ever be giving my car the once over, , so I should be okay in that department!

jones 22nd March 2015 23:00

Love those wheels, what a bargain. The additional holes such a simple touch - albeit time consuming I guess.

redratbike 22nd March 2015 23:07

Wow the holes really change the look ...

Mister Towed 23rd March 2015 07:33

Thanks guys, the additional holes were worth the effort (and a couple of broken drill bits).

It took about three hours per wheel. They needed quite a bit of sanding and the steel between the holes is about 7mm thick. Drilling each 2mm pilot hole took around 3 to 4 minutes, but the 4mm and 5.5mm bits then powered through in around a minute each.

They look close enough to the original Dunlops to fool most people - the main giveaway is that mine have 20 holes while Dunlops have 15.

When you look at the price of replicas - Image Wheels Billet 46 alloys, for example (gorgeous though they undoubtedly are) come in at £309 + vat each. That's £1,483.20 plus delivery for four compared to £100 all in for my 'home made' alternative.

You pays your money, you takes your choice...

£370.80 each -
http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9rgb7fh9.jpg

£25.00 each -
http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pst1whs1gr.jpg

http://www.imagewheels.co.uk/pages/prices_billet.html

Mister Towed 23rd March 2015 10:32

Just to answer a couple of pm's publicly, the wheels I got were fixed price buy-it-now on ebay.

I've just done a bit of surfing - couldn't find any more E34 sets for sale, but there are a couple of E39 sets that have an ET of 18, and actually have the right number of holes (15) -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2617967770...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2516027225...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

BTW, I can't guarantee that these will fit the 250 as I haven't tried them myself yet. Based on Tribute's wheel information thread I think they'll fit, but please do your own research before purchase.

On another matter, I'd be interested to know how much clearance there is available to fit taller tyres.

The Z3 'standard' tyre sizes all seem to have a diameter of between 63 and 64cm, while I'm thinking of going with 185/80/15 Vreidestein Sprint Classics (an original SWB tyre size), which are 67.7cm across.

This means that the 185/15's will be around 20mm closer to anything that might foul them, anyone know if there's more than a 20mm gap between the standard Z3 tyres and the chassis, suspension or bodywork?

Scottie22 23rd March 2015 10:42

Hey Mr Towed, talking about saving cash on wheels, look how much you would have lost if you had gone ahead and bought these!!

If you had only bought four to save money, it would total (with Vat) a massive £7680! And that's without carriage!

Who pays this kind of price for wheels??

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7usbsyng.jpg[/IMG]

Mister Towed 23rd March 2015 10:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed (Post 64790)
Just to answer a couple of pm's publicly, the wheels I got were fixed price buy-it-now on ebay.

I've just done a bit of surfing - couldn't find any more E34 sets for sale, but there are a couple of E39 sets that have an ET of 18, and actually have the right number of holes (15) -

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2617967770...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2516027225...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

BTW, I can't guarantee that these will fit the 250 as I haven't tried them myself yet. Based on Tribute's wheel information thread I think they'll fit, but please do your own research before purchase.

On another matter, I'd be interested to know how much clearance there is available to fit taller tyres.

The Z3 'standard' tyre sizes all seem to have a diameter of between 63 and 64cm, while I'm thinking of going with 185/80/15 Vreidestein Sprint Classics (an original SWB tyre size), which are 67.7cm across.

This means that the 185/15's will be around 20mm closer to anything that might foul them, anyone know if there's more than a 20mm gap between the standard Z3 tyres and the chassis, suspension or bodywork?

Just found this interesting link -

http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/gta-...eels-7x14.html

So, Campagnolo branded wheels they might well become...

I know what you mean about the chicken-skin seats. BMW did (still do?) some bloody awful colour combinations inside their cars, the bounds of which are only limited by the lack of taste of the person ordering the car new, which appears to be unlimited.

Never really been a fan of BMW's or their owners for some reason. :argue:

P.S. Not sure how I managed to quote myself, I'm not usually quite that vain, I meant to quote Bob's (Hurnleft) link to the Campagnolo stickers above.

Mister Towed 23rd March 2015 10:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottie22 (Post 64791)
Hey Mr Towed, talking about saving cash on wheels, look how much you would have lost if you had gone ahead and bought these!!

If you had only bought four to save money, it would total (with Vat) a massive £7680! And that's without carriage!

Who pays this kind of price for wheels??

[IMG]http://i928.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps7usbsyng.jpg[/IMG]

Jay Leno? Chris Evans? Bill Gates? Who knows...

Mister Towed 23rd March 2015 12:36

This just arrived -

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pszhew4abr.jpg

http://i1301.photobucket.com/albums/...pslmgbnu1u.jpg

NOS genuine wheel centre cap, which will be modified to become a feature of the steering hub. It even came in a branded plastic bag.


All times are GMT +0. The time now is 10:43.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright Madabout Kitcars 2022