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Levelling is actually a tricky one and I can see the more you think about it the more of a worry it becomes. Axle stands under the body is the obvious but then the suspension won't be under correct load for measurements. Does the drive slope both ways? Ifmit where mine I think I would level front to back on the high side using ply wood pads or similar then to get left to right and still have a level reference use a scaffold board plank that goes under front and rear wheel raised on bricks or blocks to the correct height.that would give a measuring point to the board.and hopefully keep load on the suspension. You could run a string line from the tyre bottom of the wheel that is only raised a little to the one that is sat at drive level. I maybe being excessively stupid here so has anyone an easier idea? Scaffold boars s are surprisingly cheap or you can hire 13' ones for pennies. Ask the hire shop or scaffolders they may even have damaged planks that will be long enough. That reminds me I need a few for my tower. Ed
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Have a look at the fiat 500 bonnet/wing/scuttle cut lines they resemble your winglet sketch.
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Ed - Unfortunately, the driveway slopes both front to back & side to side.
I did think about using some scaffolding to build a raised (and level) platform for the car, but it would not be practical. Thankfully, the front of the body shell slots now into place around the Spitfire bulkhead, so that should be straight (ish). Then I plan to use the twin exhaust tail pipes as my reference point to get the back end roughly lined up. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Every Little Helps: Not much car time available today, but at least I was able to inch along a bit further... Removed all the screws and various brackets. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-S...o/DSCF4715.JPG Note: After cutting the slits to get a much tighter shape, I didn't squash the arch that much in the end. :rolleyes: Cleaned up the underside around where the screws had been. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a...o/DSCF4716.JPG Added some more fibreglass matting across the screw holes & the join. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r...o/DSCF4718.JPG When that was set, I ground out the join on the sunny side. ( As I wanted to strengthen the main join on this side before I started tackling the shaping of the wheel arch etc. ) https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p...o/DSCF4720.JPG Then covered the join in 3 layers of matting, increasing the width of each layer. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_...o/DSCF4721.JPG So not much, but better than nothing. Cheers, Paul. :) |
[IMG]http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/foru...&pictureid=607[/IMG]
Fiat like shut lines through curved panels. When I looked at a 500 yesterday I thought the scuttle bonnet wing line resembled your sketch?(although now it doesn't) The front wing to bumper line is brave too. Do you think the slope on the drive is too great to just use a well supported scaffolding plank? They are around 11" wide 2" thick and 13' long. |
Ed - The other problem with "levelling" the slope is that the passenger side would be too high off the ground to work on.
At least now my wife and I can carry the body shell over the internal framework without the aid of a step ladder! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A Day Off/Out: No working on the car today, as I made my first trip to Brooklands. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f...o/IMG_0973.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...o/IMG_0966.JPG - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The "Tri Chevy" club were celebrating 60 years of the 1955 Chevy (although the club covers '55, '56 & '57 models). It was a lovely day and a very impressive turn out covering a wide range of styles and finishes. Here is just a small selection of the Chevy photos I took. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-n...o/IMG_0923.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2...o/IMG_0933.JPG https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j...o/IMG_0937.JPG https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-V...o/IMG_0928.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-L...o/IMG_0988.JPG https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8...o/IMG_1024.JPG https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B...o/IMG_1027.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-l...o/IMG_0921.JPG - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - There was also a large number of other American cars on display and, again, this is just a small selection of photos. Obviously this rear lighting layout caught my eye. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w...o/IMG_0963.JPG But I'd need to add some fins to get away with this one. https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Y...o/IMG_1014.JPG Got to love 4 tail pipes. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-d...o/IMG_1000.JPG Although I'm not sure what sort of exhaust this had, but boy was it LOUD! https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-P...o/IMG_1029.JPG There were quite a few MOPAR/muscle cars. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-O...o/IMG_1031.JPG Wide and Low. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-J...o/IMG_1012.JPG Plus assorted hot rods. https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1...o/IMG_0954.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r...o/IMG_1010.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-e...o/IMG_1011.JPG Followed by a family pub lunch, so all in all, a good day. Cheers, Paul. :) |
To make levelling easier I made up some rigid replacements for the spring/shocks using some 20x40mm box section I had lying about. That way you can set the suspension geometry to whwtever height you choose and it won't move when you drop the body on. To cope with yor sloping drive, mark where the wheels sit on the ground then move the car out of the way and make up some piles of ply packing up to a common level at the marked positions. Then move the packing piles just far enough to allow the car to be rolled back to where it was before, jack up and insert the packing.
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Andrew - Welcome to my build thread & thanks for the "level playing field" suggestions. :cool:
Although, the fact my body shell is a bit "wonky" in places may work in my favour when it comes time to fit it. The lack of symmetrical, after all my modifications, means there isn't actually a correct "alignment" any more. In other words, if one rear edge is horizontal, another one wont be. :rolleyes: So I hope I can get everything straight enough to get away with the "rough & ready" look. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - More Of The Same: I'm sorry that most of the following photos all look very similar, but I am slowly making progress, honest. Sanded down the rear passenger corner of the bonnet. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X...o/DSCF4715.JPG Added a layer of fibreglass filler. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-0...o/DSCF4716.JPG Counter sunk the screw holes on the sunny side of the driver's corner. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...o/DSCF4717.JPG Attacked the wheel arch "slits" with my angle grinder. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K...o/DSCF4718.JPG Added a layer of fibreglass filler. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-7...o/DSCF4719.JPG Later on, both sides were roughly sanded down. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_...o/DSCF4720.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E...o/DSCF4721.JPG Not easy to see is the following photo, but there will still be some gentle contours between the wings and the centre of the bonnet. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R...o/DSCF4722.JPG Note: The passenger side will probably end up nicer than the driver's side, due to the knock on effects of the earlier cut & shut of the driver's wing. Next was adding the final fibreglass matting layers to the sunny sides, covering the main join on the driver's side. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5...o/DSCF4724.JPG Plus the "bumps" on the passenger side. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4...o/DSCF4723.JPG Then another wait, before some more sanding. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j...o/DSCF4726.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i...o/DSCF4727.JPG At this point I just want the rough shape, as hopefully there will be a layer of normal body filler going on tomorrow. So until next time, take care, Paul. :) |
Bonnet/Body Shell Modifications - Phase 1 Complete (ish):
Used normal body filler on the bonnet, to cover the remaining 'cut & shut' scars and to improve the overall bonnet shape. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-s...o/DSCF4738.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h...o/DSCF4739.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w...o/DSCF4740.JPG I still want to re-enforcing the edge when the other mods have been done, so there was no point in adding filler to that at this stage. ( Similarly, the lower end of the bonnet still needs to be cut off and attached to the body shell. ) However, I really need the body shell to be bonded into position before I start the wheel arch and body shell extension work. So for now, I just sanded down the filler and trimmed off any excess fibreglass matting from the rear edge. ( I say "just", but boy was this hard labour! ) https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j...o/DSCF4741.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-h...o/DSCF4742.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-m...o/DSCF4743.JPG I know there is still some more shaping required, and I'm still a long way from being ready for paint... But I couldn't resist adding some etch primer just to get a better idea of my progress, which is definitely heading in the right direction. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-J...o/DSCF4744.JPG Especially, when you consider that the bonnet looked like this just 11 days ago. :eek: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Y...o/DSCF4672.JPG By the time I've finished, this should end up being a good blend of the original Sammio bonnet curves & the new scuttle profile. :cool: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n...o/DSCF4750.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-p...o/DSCF4748.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2...o/DSCF4745.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r...o/DSCF4746.JPG I know it will not be prefect, but the thankfully, the battered ex-race car look is just what I am aiming for. :icon_wink: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Storage Crisis: Regular readers will know that I have limited storage space and it often ends up in a complete mess. :rolleyes: Well the chaos in my Summer House reached a new peak this morning. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9...o/DSCF4729.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k...o/DSCF4730.JPG Now the bikes would normally live in the shed, but there is currently chaos in there too. ( It's a long story. ) https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d...o/DSCF4734.JPG Note: These photos are after I took a load of bin bags full of stuff to the dump yesterday! Whilst I made a start on this today, I will need to spend some proper time on it tomorrow. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Next Steps: I need to re-focus on getting a working "moon rover" so that I can confidently bond the body shell back on. Which means I need to agree the final route that the rear wiring loom will take from the behind the dash to the tail lights, etc. So until next time, take care, Paul. :) |
Great progress and its amazing how just a powdering of primer can suddenly take it a step forward on its own. I do think you are hard on your self critique Paul though!
You have my sympathies on the storage, I am prepping to have to drag the car into the garage to and work on it through the wet and cold months. It took me most of the day and a huge trip to the tip. Unfortunately I don't think it is much better than when I started - absolutely no chance of getting a car in let alone space to work on it! I will call that round 1 attempt - need a storage facility for my gardening tools and likewise the push bike too. Keep going - good progress! |
Looking good Paul you should feel proud of what you have achieved so far
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Paul Its been a few days since i last looked your thread and the bonnet has moved on a lot, well done it looks great the primer is a positive moral booster.
Keep up the great progress. :):) |
Jones, Roaster & Swifty - Thanks chaps, seeing those last few photos were indeed a great boost to morale. :cool:
As my biggest fear was that my Frankenstein HillBilly approach to resolving the Cordite's problems would make things worse. :icon_sad: However, it is now clear that by the time I have finally finished the last few mods, the car will really look the part of a 50s racer. I know I can be hard on myself in terms of the standard of finish, but I have to keep pushing myself to get the best results I can achieve. The harsh reality is that areas like the driver's side of the bonnet will end up being a bit "lumpy" in places (due to all the repair work). But the really good thing is that this simply doesn't matter, as it is the overall impression that will count and that should be good enough. Cheers, Paul. :) |
Very Little Progress To Report:
Managed to get as far as bringing the wiring loom out to play. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/DSCF4751.JPG As I need to work out the best route for the rear wiring loom to take to/from this connection to the main loom. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3...o/DSCF4752.JPG I spent a bit of time looking at the various options available, trying to find the easiest one to do. Then I realised that I needed to work out how I was going to make the cockpit water tight first. There are currently gaps at the floor level (excuse all the filler dust I haven't cleaned up yet :rolleyes: ). https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5...o/DSCF4753.JPG And between the bulkhead and the body shell. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-8...o/DSCF4754.JPG So I started messing around with some cardboard to see what my options might be. The floor area should be straight forward enough. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x...o/DSCF4755.JPG But the sides will need to be done in steps, starting with filling the gap at the side. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R...o/DSCF4757.JPG Because then the body shell extension will need to join to the Spitfire bulkhead here. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5...o/DSCF4758.JPG Note: The card completely covers the bulkhead "shelf", but the actual join will not be this deep. Overall, I think I will be able to provide a "dry" area for the cables to run through. :pray: Hopefully I will get a chance to spend some more time on this over the weekend. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Storage Crisis - Part 2: I've spent a lot of time sorting out piles of stuff, not helped by rain arriving one day when everything was out on the lawn! :rant: Here are some of the car related boxes that have to live in the shed. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-J...o/DSCF4751.JPG But least there is now room in the shed for them and 4 push bikes. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h...o/DSCF4753.JPG The back of the Summer House is still a graveyard for old metal, fibreglass and insulation foam. :rolleyes: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B...o/DSCF4754.JPG But at least you can actually get into the Summer House itself now. :cool: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1...o/DSCF4755.JPG I still need to sort out the contents of some of the boxes, but that can wait for now. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visual Progress: It dawned on me that I'd posted a photo of what the body shell & bonnet originally looked like the other day. So I thought a side by side comparison would be a good way to see just how far I have come. Before: http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p...L/DSCF7504.jpg After: https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2...o/DSCF4745.JPG I know it has taken me a very long time to reach this shape, but the good news is that I really like it. :cool: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Until next time, take care, Paul. :) |
Really great progress Paul!
Glad you showed the pics of your excess junk, I don't feel so guilty about hoarding my rubbish now! Keep up the good work. |
Scottie - Cheers. :cool:
Although once this car is finally on the road, there will be a major purge of my "might come in handy" pile! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - A Start - Part 1: A combination of wet weather and other chores restricted my time on the car today, but I did a bit. When I starting looking at the wiring loom yesterday, I found two holes in the bulkhead that might be where the front loom exits. So I had to go back through the photos of my donor with the loom still in place and this confirmed that this hole... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6...o/DSCF4761.JPG Should be blanked off, so I found an old Spitfire grommet and that was the easiest job of the day. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-r...o/DSCF4762.JPG Then it was back to beard scratching about how the both the cockpit interior and other gaps between the body shell & bulkhead get sealed off. So I taped the templates I made yesterday back into position. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-j...o/DSCF4764.JPG Part of this structure will seal the cockpit, but also bridge the gap to the body shell. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K...o/DSCF4765.JPG But rather than go "straight up", I need to extend this section horizontally going towards the front of the car. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N...o/DSCF4767.JPG Then the next vertical section will complete the seal. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-z...o/DSCF4769.JPG Not easy to see in this photo, but I will end up with a small "cavern" around the area where the framework is bolted to the bulkhead. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P...o/DSCF4771.JPG And it is into this "cavern" that the rear wiring loom will now exit the bulkhead. The plywood panels along the cockpit sides will sit in front of the framework. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-X...o/DSCF4772.JPG But there needs to be a "hollow" section so that the wing mirrors can be fitted. ( And I still need to work on the final design. ) https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-7...o/DSCF4773.JPG The key thing for me to get my head around is that I will have created a water tight space for the wiring loom. This will be between the internal cockpit sides and the external fibreglass body shell. I just put some cable wrap in position to illustrate this. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q...o/DSCF4776.JPG The same will apply at the rear wheel arches, where they will be sealed externally... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x...o/DSCF4780.JPG Before the internal cockpit sides seals the wiring loom out of the way. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-m...o/DSCF4783.JPG I know I've spent a lot of time on this, but I had to get it clear in my head before I took the body shell off. End of Part 1... |
A Start - Part 2:
My wife gave me a hand with the lifting and the car went from vaguely looking complete... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-r...o/DSCF4784.JPG Back to a collection of parts on my driveway. :icon_sad: https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g...o/DSCF4789.JPG Then I could drill a hole for the rear wiring loom in the side of the bulkhead. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-R...o/DSCF4792.JPG Which will be inside the "cavern", although this photo doesn't show the angles very well. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-y...o/DSCF4793.JPG Then I roughly laid out the route the rear loom needs to take. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-P...o/DSCF4794.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-i...o/DSCF4795.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-N...o/DSCF4796.JPG I actually need to fit the main loom into position before I can work out how much of the loom needs to be "fed" into the bulkhead. But that will have to wait for another day, as the covers are back on for tonight. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...o/DSCF4797.JPG So until next time, take care, Paul. :) |
Paul Any holes that the wiring loom passes through will need a rubber grommet fitting to prevent water ingress and chaffing of the cable's.
Ignore this if you know but i thought it better to mention now when it's easier to fit the grommets. |
Swifty - Thanks for mentioning it, as I'd rather be safe than sorry. :cool:
I should have said I will use a grommet to protect the wires from chaffing (see below). As water should not be able to reach this hole in the bulkhead after I've finished boxing it all in. :pray: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Trial & Error - Part 1: Pushed the two sections of the front wiring loom through the bulkhead. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-P...o/DSCF4799.JPG https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-F...o/DSCF4803.JPG These are the original Spitfire parts, although neither appear very water tight. :rolleyes: This allowed me to fix the main loom to the bulkhead at this end to see where the rear loom connection would be. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-o...o/DSCF4807.JPG This in turn, allowed me to work out how far the rear loom wires needed to go into the bulkhead to reach. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-_...o/DSCF4808.JPG I just needed to wrap up the middle section of the rear loom. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-p...o/DSCF4809.JPG https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...o/DSCF4810.JPG Note: That thin strip of driveway was how small the area I had to fit into for today's work and it was not quite big enough. I then spent a very long time trying to find the best route for rear loom to take. This really was a case of trial and error as I'd zip tie the loom in place, then have to cut the ties and start again. In the end, the best route was along the top of the framework, something I had tested before. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E...o/DSCF4811.JPG Note: I will come back to tidy up the start of the cable wrap near the hole in the bulkhead later on. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-4...o/DSCF4812.JPG I also used an extra layer of protection in some areas. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/DSCF4827.JPG Unfortunately, when I got towards the rear arches I realised I needed to finish another job before I could go any further. As there was a mis-match between the fuel hard line and the flexible fuel pipe. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c...o/DSCF4813.JPG I bolted 2 "P" clips to the rear arches to hold the hard line in position. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-d...o/DSCF4814.JPG Even this was a pain, as I had to cut one of the bolts down to size as I couldn't find a short one. :rolleyes: I was able to create the nice bends with my cheap flexible pipe bending tool. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w...o/DSCF4815.JPG Then I cut the hard line down to size, before putting the final curve in the pipe. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2...o/DSCF4816.JPG Then I cut the flexible pipe to size and fixed it to the framework with zip ties to create a gentle curve. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-s...o/DSCF4817.JPG End of Part 1... |
Trial & Error - Part 2:
Allowing the two pipes to be joined together here. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-u...o/DSCF4818.JPG I dread to thing how long it has been since the fuel tank was connected, so this was a satisfying job to complete. :cool: Here is the overall route. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-9...o/DSCF4819.JPG Then I could switch back to the rear wiring loom and finish the "branch" required for the fuel gauge sender wiring. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-a...o/DSCF4820.JPG Although the wires to the tank needed to be shortened as they were too long. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/DSCF4821.JPG So starting at the tank... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-u...o/DSCF4822.JPG I worked my way around the framework... https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...o/DSCF4823.JPG Before shortening the wires & adding a new earth connector and fixing it into position on the P clip bolt I'd fitted earlier. https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-V...o/DSCF4824.JPG This left the rear loom routed like this up to the branch for the fuel tank. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-X...o/DSCF4825.JPG Leaving the final route down into the boot area still to be done. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-q...o/DSCF4826.JPG Normally, I'd be complaining if I'd spend a long time working, with little to show for it. But in this case, I'm completely happy to take my time and re-do things until they are right. The other positive to take from today is that these jobs are all required to achieve a working Moon Rover. So until next time, take care, Paul. :) |
All looks very neat considering your using the original loom.:icon_smile:
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