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-   -   G46 No.6 Blackbird (https://madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3849)

HouseMartin 23rd September 2012 00:22

G46 No.6 Blackbird
 
7 months and one change of ownership after placing my deposit with Gary in Poole, I how have G46 No6. bodykit sitting on my drive.

Gareth has gone three or four steps beyond what is resonable for a new owner to do satifying existing orders.
The body has been delivered on the date and time (to the minute) by Gareth, who gave up 2 days and 1000 miles to deliver the kit.
All my modifications agreed by Gary at no extra costs have been fulfilled by Gareth at some extra cost to himself and I am very pleased.
If anyone is considering a G46, you will not be disapppointed in the customer service from Gareth.

So blackbird my G46 has round arches, full earo screen and NO hump, great job by tribute automative to blank off the hump and leave a gell coat with no scaring. The even manged to deliver a kit with every panel in the same same dark gel coat colour, am I a luck guy!

So here are some picture for you all

front
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psf3f273f0.jpg

rear

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psb3a8a4d7.jpg

side

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7f6c011a.jpg

front angle

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps16cb0264.jpg

rear angle

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4a40dd11.jpg

aerial

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psd2423f49.jpg

with build assistant passing critical eye.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0583b6d8.jpg

So the next choice is which donor, red or purple?

I am trying a different approach to CT, WCA, Nike and Andrew Hush.I:flypig: i plan to cut away as little as possible from the scimitar body to add strength (weight) and make the bonding of rear inner wheel arches easier. However, it may all change when I can't get the seat in the place I want!

More pics next weekend when I start to take the donor apart and make that first cut.

HM

Mister Towed 23rd September 2012 08:43

Looking Good HM. I like the hump-free look on the G46, it seems a better balanced design to me, a bit like a big 550 Spyder. Nice.

Can't wait to see some progress. :dance:

davecymru 23rd September 2012 09:07

These G46's are really starting to gain momentum now and yours looks like another interesting twist on the model. I wish you all the best with the build and I'm really looking fwd to seeing some of these in the flesh next year!
Dave

oxford1360 23rd September 2012 09:27

That's a really imposing shape - I love it. Looking forward to watching the build.

Charman.tech 23rd September 2012 10:14

Red or purple
 
That's easy which ever one lets you down first!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking good all one colour gel coat! can't help thinking the moulding looks neater than ours, to be fair to Gary but we did buy a very early development shell on the basis we would have to work out a lot for ourselves.

It good to see the new starts for the G46 have felt a little alone.

Now hop down to the local DIY shop and buy several hundred 1mm cutting discs and wait to see whether Red or Purple get's it!

lancelot link 23rd September 2012 10:28

That does look good....I agree with Toad about the humpless body giving it a totally different vibe...

Reading the original posting , its fairly obvious I am being slated for my initial involvements in this order ..... Fair enough . I accept that.The G46 orders have been a disaster for me....lots of reasons , well documented on here so no need to re-trace old comments ...

The G46 was a massive undertaking that I undertook at a time I shouldn't have ...a case of my artistic hat being worn instead of my business hat.

I have one outstanding order for Adrian in Wales to satisfy....he has been incredibly patient and I have been difficult throughout .

One of the reasons I let Gaz take on the G46's was it was obvious I was sinking fast with them....his approach to sorting out previous orders and working towards new orders with the finish build of number 1 is absolutely first class...

He is definitely the right man to take this car forward....I am lucky to have been able to get him on board...

I did offer to finance the extras on Housemartins car as I offered them free of charge but didn't expect Tribute to be as generous with something that isn't their product , Gaz refused and said he'd cover it as he was aware of the time and financial burdens I was under....Top man again !

I got Tribute involved because I know Chris will offer a first rate service and is very business like ( unlike me ..whos a bit crap at that side of things ! ) His current success with the MX250's reflects this...
Tribute haven't let me down...they are on the money every time...

I would also like to add that I still do about a half day a week , free of charge , collecting bodies from Tribute , organising parts , dealing with customers on collection of kits from me etc etc....this is mostly Spyder and Cordite orders at present but a few G46's have been dealt with as well....not looking for a medal but I want it known I haven't just sold and run leaving a mess behind me to sort out....I am still here acting in a voluntary way to keep things moving for a bit longer yet...

Anyway....thats that out of the way ....As said earlier Housemartin , body looks great ....keep us posted on its progress...

Thank you

Paul L 23rd September 2012 16:05

Funny how the black makes it looks smaller than the white G46s I've seen.

Good luck with the build, Paul. :)

GazDavies 23rd September 2012 16:34

Thank you very much for the kind comments from both HM and LL, although without the help and guidance of Gary, firstly in the initial take over and later with his continued support, the G46s that have been produced lately would still be nothing more than plans. Any praise for me and especially the product should reflect directly on Gary.

I do very much like the no hump G46 but what I think makes a huge difference is the dark gel coat. It seems to show all of those lovely curves off so much more than the white gel that most of the others have been made in.

Its great to see all of these G46 build threads, Im looking forward to seeing how they all look when they are finished with so many different variations.

HouseMartin 23rd September 2012 21:08

To the creator
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by lancelot link (Post 35322)
That does look good....I agree with Toad about the humpless body giving it a totally different vibe...

Reading the original posting , its fairly obvious I am being slated for my initial involvements in this order .....
Anyway....thats that out of the way ....As said earlier Housemartin , body looks great ....keep us posted on its progress...

Thank you

Lancelot, stop beating yourself up.

No slating intended, as you know, I requested that delivery be put back, before Gareth gave you a helping hand.

I just wanted to express how impressed I was with Gareth's kit delivery.
In the same way I am impressed with your creative ability to design and build such a kit by posting my pictures. You make a great team.

My insistance on the dark colour gel coat for all panels was just a way to show your G46 at its best as soon as possible.

Like any business man, had you not been under such pressure to secure orders when I asked for no hump and round arches, I am sure you would have upped the price.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...psd2d4713c.jpg

Great Job Lancelot, I hope I can deliver now!

HM :popcorn:

HouseMartin 1st October 2012 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by HouseMartin (Post 35311)
So the next choice is which donor, red or purple?

More pics next weekend when I start to take the donor apart and make that first cut.

HM

Well I took both scimitars for the MOT earlier in the week. The purple one passed with not advisories but the red one failed for a rubbish handbrake and play in the steering rack inner balljoint. So I think I will get the red one gets the facelift.

Unfortunately the wife's Citroen C3 steering rack has gone very notchy and noisy so my weekend on the G46 has been hickjecked by rubbish french engineering. £1900 for a new rack - what a rip off!

The person who invented Torx needs shooting! Yes they enable you to exert a lot more power, but Citroen seem to make bolts a lot smaller as a result.
It is built in obselesence to expect a 12mm stud corroded into an aluminum rack to be removed with a 3mm bit, not to mention bits of plastic securing subframe corroded nuts.

Give me british engineering any day.

Anyway, I have had a few 1/2 hours in the evening this week and been cleaning up the mounding so the boot lid and doors fit. Like WCA and CT I note the two door are over and inch different in length.

Hopefully more photos next weekend.

AndyP85 2nd October 2012 10:33

Blackbird is looking fantastic! Loving the no hump idea aswell, didn't know that removing the hump would still produce a good looking car but wow! :)

HouseMartin 10th October 2012 23:41

Update - no photos yet
 
The G46 body is now hanging from the garage roof and the donor is going to be rolled back underneath.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46011.jpg

I have removed all the rear end lights, bumper, numberplate etc.
Eased out the side windows and the unbolted the rear hatch.
Removed all the roof and side trim and drilled out the roof guttering.
removed all the wiring from the interior light, heated rear window and rear lights.

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46008.jpg

So the donor has lost its trousers, but still has its shirt as the front is still intact.

I have put a few holes through the roof from inside the donor just behind the anti roll bar to act as a guide as i want to leave the roll bar in place to assist centering the body. (or to make life difficult for myself)

I will make the cut at the highest point of the lower edge of the side window to remove the roof

http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46009.jpg

Photos with the roof cut off and the donor under the G46 kit to follow

HM

Charman.tech 11th October 2012 05:59

Flying G46
 
We are currently working on the door cills, nice to see another body so we can compare, its looks as yours is identical to ours where the drivers cill is a lot deeper and tucks under more than the passenger side.

As they have to be cut it gives a lot of scope for modelling them to suit the individual car, we are making a recessed section down each side to take cherry bomb exhausts, proving a little bit of a challenge but getting there.

We found the roll over bar just got in the way and ended up chopping it off so we could line up he body.

If you go to our very first page on our thread we posted a few photo's of the body cutting up which may assist as did WCA or should I say (hop along) WCA was definitely the right handle for him!

WorldClassAccident 11th October 2012 11:02

It is quite a lot of chopping to be done. Just remember that the frame supplied sits on the plastic door sills of the donor. If you chop those away you end up with the floating frame design of my special 'light weight'. It was a deliberate decision, honest*

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6...2008.59.05.jpg

*Okay, it was a mistake because I couldn't work out how to get the frame to sit properly but right now I am allow 'lame' excuses


Don't forget to keep your rear seata and door hinges for later re-use. Door shut mechanisms probably useful too.

HouseMartin 14th October 2012 22:57

The first cuts
 
So the ultra thin cutting disks have been put to good use and the GTE is now a pickup.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46012.jpg
I was curious to see if there was any stregthening around the rear hatch and Reliant do have a 10mm metal tube enclosed in the fibreglass.
(you can see it in th photo above)
This seems an elegant solution to avoid metal work inside the car and add a significant amount of strength easily.
I wondering if I can do something similar with the supplied metailwork
I have rolled the donor backup under the body and trimmed the side skirts so they are straightish and sqaure
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46017.jpg
LIke CT says the roll bar is getting the way so that is next for the chop.
However, the door provided are a very tight fit in the body and I was wondering about cutting the body
down the middle of the door aperature to increase the opening slighty and simplify the alignment.
The door trailing edge of the door should be easy enough to extend with bnding paste or this this a no no?
What are your views on this Gary, AH, GWA or CT?
I need to locate the bonnet to keep the garage tidy so i set about cutting the relief for the headlights.
I hope to keep as much as possible of the existing inner wheel arches below
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46020.jpg
Ever wondered what a G46 with a windscreen might look like?
Well not as striking as the aero screened version Gaz is about to reveil at exeter.
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46021.jpg
The bonnet still another 6 inches to go before it lines up with the wheel arches,
so I need to figure out how to get the siezed front overridders and indicators off in a saleable condition for ebay
http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/...age/g46024.jpg
Progress is slow but as long as I get a little done each week I am a happy builder. My plans for this weeks are:
Drain and remove the petrol tank and filler.
Cut away the rear light clusters.
Cut away more of the bonnet and front wings to aline the front wheel arches.
Spend hours on ebay looking for rear lights, steering wheels and guages.
HM

WorldClassAccident 15th October 2012 08:03

Doors are a tight fit on mine. i haven't had a chance to fit the hinges since twatting my ankle but have trimmed the rear edges off the doors in preparation. They also have a slightly different amount of curve at the moment but that may be down to the straps I have holding the body work in place.

Be aware that sticking a ratchet strap around the body and tightening makes a huge difference to how the body sits. Make sure you have the bonnet lined up with the body before fixing the body otherwise it is possible to pull the body in tighter than the bonnet can curve and you have to cut the bonnet to fit.

Are you planning on keeping your screen?

I am planning on putting a proper screen on mine and have the old Scimi windscreen glass. If it looks okay in your picture I might consider that option.

Even if you are not planning on keeping the screen, please can you take a couple of 'mock up' pictures to help me see what it might look like.

Cheers

WCA

PS Gauges can be V expensive so I have decided to stick with the white on black Smiths that came with the car. Period enough.

Mister Towed 15th October 2012 08:26

The Scimitar screen looks pretty good to me - it has something of the e-type coupe about it. Could be made to work...

GazDavies 15th October 2012 08:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister Towed (Post 36216)
something of the e-type coupe about it.

Exactly what I thought when I saw it. I think it looks quite good.

Mister Towed 15th October 2012 08:49

It's perhaps a little tall for a 'convertible' but I'm sure you can get screens cut down and aluminium side support posts made, a-la Porsche 356 Speedster.

http://intermeccanica.com/athird.net/head-start-cars

Gary J can probably help you out there with his contacts in the Hot Rod world.

Charman.tech 15th October 2012 12:03

HM you are playing the same game as Charile and I did, first we made a "pick up"
re-profiled the back, the front wings etc, etc, it was a fitting tribute to the old girl when cutting her up.

I love the front clip over the exist bonnet as other had said E Type or my thoughts were Daytona Cobra now's there an idea LL

Are you taking a slightly different route by cutting off lumps and then seeing if the panels fit over? I am pretty sure the rest of us have cut the body off and then place the new body on top of the floor plan and bulk head left.

WCA I am not sure if the body does need to have a ratchet strap around it (like a spyder) it looked to me and only opinion that from the photos you posted that it brings the back wings in to tight almost touching the the old inner wheel arches where as ours and others don't seem to meet them.

100% in agreement with WCA about the re-use of gauges new ones are not cheap and the black smiths are as period as you like.

HM we cut the body shell because of the changes we mad to cut the body heel to make the doors fit better would be a huge amount of work I think I would adjust the length of the doors.

HM if you go the LL link and our early posts and WCA's (apart from removing the cills') they will give a reference to how much of the old car to leave in place, when we did it we only had the LL photos and the photos we took of the fist car in development at his workshop so it really was working in the dark.


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